Re:Zero Protecting life in another world from Zero
by shanewallis123
Summary: A Soldier finds himself plucked from his home, transported into a world of magic and mystery. Despite finding himself in over his head our protagonist will do all that he can to survive in this new world and maybe, just maybe he will find love. I'm not a great writer this is one of my first attempts at it so all comments / criticism and so on are welcome and encouraged.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Re: World**

– Regarding finding yourself Lost in another world

It felt like a normal night at first. But as you walked on you noticed things weren't quite right, the city was unnaturally quiet, clubs were empty and shops closed. It was as though everyone had simply up and left.

Suddenly your eyes feel heavy, you're tired. Not unusual after a long autumn day but this feels different. As you struggle just to walk straight it becomes harder and harder to keep your eyes open until "Just one second couldn't hurt..." with that you shut your eyes for just a moment, just long enough for the world to go black. You rub your eyes slowly opening them, squinting and raising your hands to block out the near blinding light. "Where'd that car come from" for just a second you believed it was a set of head beams blocking your vision.

As you adjust to the light you begin to notice details, the floor had somehow changed it was no longer the grey drab concrete you were standing on but now was some kind of cobble-stone pavement. Looking up you finally see what would otherwise be beyond belief. The towering city scape you had been wandering just moments ago had been replaced by much smaller European style stone and brick buildings. Brightly coloured stalls lined the street, selling everything from fruit to clothes to random trinkets. Behind you stands a large exquisite fountain surrounded by freshly trimmed bushes and marble benches. Peering just over the top of the bushes you can you see small piles of silver coins in the water "A wishing well?".

the inhabitants of this new world. You see many humans, what you assume are humans any way. But among the crowds and in the buildings you see others, a woman with cat ears a man covered in fur and with a tail "Some kind of humanoid animals?" so many different kinds of non-humans, too many to count. Before you can get a true bearing on your situation you feel a hard impact and find yourself on the floor, a large scaly lizard like man had just walked right into you.

"Watch what you're doing dumbass or you might get hurt" apologetically the man starres you down for a moment before slowly walking away. On your ass and out of your element you find yourself far from home. This is a new world. You are uncertain of so much. But what you do know is who you are.

picking yourself up you decide to find some place to rest, perhaps on a nice hill where you can see more of the city.

You catch bits and pieces of conversations from passer-by's and hear the rushed peddling of store owners. The locals definitely speak English that's relieving you think to yourself, at least there's no worry of a language barrier. While looking for a place to rest you come across a fruit vendor, the signs above the food most certainly are not English. As you walk on you work in your mind trying to think if you can recognise the language, it seems to use some kind of symbol system not unlike many Asian countries however you can't make out any in particular if it is an alphabet from Earth it's not one you've seen before.

More than a few of the locals take an interest in you in one way or another, people stare and talk about you. Had they never seen a soldier before?

"What weird clothes"

"Why is he holding a metal stick, must be some kind of sculpture?"

"Look at that metal ornament on his head, is he some kind of a noble or knight?"

Though you'd gained some attention no-one approaches you, seems as though the people here believe in leaving well enough alone. Not knowing the city you think for a moment about which direction to go, you deduce that the city would be busier and more heavily developed towards the castle in the centre so decide to walk opposite of it.

The city seems to go on forever as you search for a place to rest, slowly the tall stone buildings begin to shrink as you reach more open areas in what is clearly not a well off area. Luck strikes however, you find a small hill with a ruined house standing on top. You should be relatively safe here, you decide to set up a small noise-trap in the door way before laying down to rest. It's still fairly early in the day but some sleep will do you good, when you wake you'll be refreshed enough to think of how to proceed. Almost as soon as your head hits the backpack you've prepared as a make-shift pillow you drift off...

*CRASH*

A loud noise breaks your sleep; someone had gotten into the building you'd taken shelter in. You just barely catch a glimpse of the 'intruder', a Small woman carrying your rifle and helmet! Before you can get to your feet she is gone. Rushing to the door you see her running down the dirt road, she's quick and surprisingly small; she might even be a kid. A lot is going through your mind right now, you could chase her down but you might not be able to keep up with her, you could shoot her but she looks just like a kid. You have to think of something quick before she gets away.

The thief leaves you with little time to act, running faster than she has any right to. You don't think you can keep up with her, not with a hundred kilos on your back and you just can't risk leaving the bag behind. Drawing out your side arm you take a deep breath, you don't want to do it but what else can you do? You make the shot *Bang* the thief falls to the floor. As you walk forward towards her the gravity of what had happened hits you like a truck, you had just murdered a thief... no a child. You can feel the bile rising, you're about to be sick when you see movement the girl is shaking on the floor. The rush of relief is quickly shattered, she must be in pain and injured you change pace from a steady walk to a run. Reaching the child to find... nothing? No visible wound, did she trip and fall? She is knelt on the floor shaking, shuddering but as far as you can tell she isn't hurt.

"Lightning Magic..." as you approach you can just barely hear the child berating herself "The one thing i can't outrun. Idiot." Magic? you decide not to correct her just yet, if faking magical powers can help avoid bloodshed perhaps it's best not to shatter that illusion. Is she crying? the small streaks of tears are just visible running down her cheeks, but right now her tears are the least of your concerns. She looks almost harmless now, if it wasn't for the small blade tucked away on her belt you might have took her for a normal kid.

You let out a great sigh of relief before politely greeting to thief "I don't want to hurt you. Please, just hand over what you took from me." She stares down at her loot, perhaps pondering for a moment if it was worth trying to run again sitting like this for a few moments "Here. Take it" She hands over the rifle and helmet peacefully. You're not sure if the look of guilt on her face shows some regret of her deeds or of being caught, but regardless your weapon is returned and nothing was harmed, except perhaps for some dignity.

Relieved that the situation was so easily resolved you get ready to make your leave but as you turn around the child speaks up "You're a mage, someone of wealth and status? I might have something you'll be interested in."

She pulls out some small piece of jewellery, a black and gold triangle with a glowing red ruby in the centre. "I'm sure you have something you'd be willing to trade for this one of a kind art piece? Well if you come with me we might be able to negotiate something, see if you can out-bid the other buyer i have lined up"

You ponder on how to proceed; you're not tired anymore the adrenaline surge from the brief encounter is going to keep you awake for some time. You don't think the girl will try anything yet somehow you can't help but feel unnerved. A chill makes its way up your spine you can't explain it, you feel as though you're being watched but cannot see anyone else around, any of the locals around during the confrontation turned their backs and closed their windows. This is something different. It could be nothing; your soldiering instincts kicking in making you feel enemies which aren't there.

"Bro i don't have all day you know, do you want to try and bid for the goods or what? if this isn't to your fancy I'm sure the loot house has something you'd like maybe a sword or a set of armour or..."

The girl continues on listing all sorts of goods. Whether or not there is some malicious eyes following you the child doesn't seem to feel it.

You decide to take the girl up on her offer, at the very least you might finally be able to learn a thing or two about this new world. "Ok. lead the way miss?" The girl scoffs "Not miss. Felt" Felt? was that her name? a title? this is a new world after all 'Felt' could mean anything "Felt? Your name is Felt" "Got a problem with it?" You feel kind of silly but at least now you know something of this place, even if it is just a name. "Not at all it's a nice name. It's just... unique?" you decide to change the subject, you're following this girl but you have no idea where exactly you're going or how long it will take to get there. "So, how long will it take to get to the 'loot house'" "You in a hurry or something Bro? don't worry it won't take long to get there and then it's just a short wait for the other bidder"

The short journey is uneventful; despite her previous attitude Felt is fairly quiet seemingly preferring to keep to herself. Trying to fill the time you look down at your watch, it still works and the time seems to be correct, odd you don't remember adjusting it for this worlds 'time zone'. The little thief takes you through winding roads and back alleys; the city seems completely hectic as if there were no building plans almost like the older parts of London or Paris. You keep a mental map of the trip if you need to find the 'loot house' again your confident you could manage it.

After a half hour or so you reach your destination, a small two story building which stands out amongst the more decrepit nearby homes."Is this it?" but the girl doesn't answer you. Felt looks worried as though something is off. "Wait here" such a commanding tone for a young girl, perhaps the shop was closed? No, that couldn't be it otherwise she wouldn't look so worried. She pry's open the large wooden door before heading inside, its pitch black and you can't make out a thing. Could it be a trap? Some elaborate ploy to lure you here and steal even more from you? You resolve yourself not to be taken by surprise again. Flicking on your night vision goggles you can see inside, you can see a figure dash towards the girl you shout out but it's too late. Felt falls to the ground and you recoil at the sight, the girl you had almost killed just earlier today had just been cut down in front of you. You can see the killer clearly through your high-tech gear, a tall slender woman wielding some kind of knife and wearing a far to revealing dress.

Without hesitation you raise your rifle, firing a burst into the room but somehow this murderer avoided the shots before running further into the building. Did she notice where you were pointing the rifle and then avoided its path? You decide it doesn't matter how she did it right now and move into the building, being careful to check corners and ensure that you keep her possible lines of movement in front of you. Inside are at least two other victims, a massive old man and a young woman, both clearly struck down by this murderer? You'd never seen a body before, you're sweating, holding together better than most.

You're starting to feel dizzy, nauseous; you stumble back onto the wall. Your legs failing you, it's then you see it you were bleeding badly. Your stomach had been cut open, how? When? This couldn't be happening. Somehow you had been sliced by the blade; it cut through your armour and dug deep. You're shaking now barely holding the gun up and your eyes open "How Beautiful" a voice "How beautiful your insides are..." it's the killer standing over you, pushing the rifle down. You don't have the force to fight back or even to move. Everything is cold now, your breathing becoming more and more laboured. "It can't end like this..." The light fades with every second that passes until eventually, darkness.

But then there was light, a blinding light. Your mind fills with questions, what had happened, did you just die? Was it a dream? Where are you? Looking down you see no wound or injury. For a second you thought you it might have all been a dream but the familiar sight of shop stalls and unhuman creatures surrounded by sprawling stone buildings, to your back a large water fountain. Somehow you had found yourself back where you started, back where this had all began. The shock of it all hits you at once, covering the floor in last night's super.

"Some people have no respect"

You're not sure exactly what had happened, but you're alive and ready to move forward.

 **Chapter 2 – Re: Thief**

– Regarding saving a young thief from a brutal end in another world

If you warn the girl maybe you can stop her dying?

Was it a dream? A vision? Did you come back from the dead? You find it hard to think as the crowd flows around you. If it was nothing then you would be a fool to act on some dream, but what if that wasn't a dream? You have to do something, you cannot in good conscience just let those people die again. But how to move forward? Felt! the girl who tried to steal your gun, if you can find her maybe you can stop the whole chain of events from taking place, maybe you can save her and the others.

On the way to the slums you make note to study your surroundings in detail. You figure that if that wasn't a dream than locations should match up to the last time and to increasing worry they do. You're retracing your path and every step is identical every stone and every person. you smash into someone, a tall red head wearing a long white coat, you had seen that uniform before. A Police officer? a Knight? they could help! the relief of that moment is dashed as you rationalise the situation. What could you say? "I was murdered but somehow came back to life?" you can't think of what to say luckily the stranger speaks first "Sorry about that, i mustn't have been looking where i was going." he helps you back to your feat. He seems like a good person, it's strange you've just bumped into him in the street yet you feel some sort of aura of kindness radiating from the man. "Thank you for that, thank you" you rush off to find the girl, after all you are on a time limit.

You make notes in your pad, names, locations you even draw a picture of that glowing jewel. You have a pretty good memory but it can't hurt, writing helps to remember.

When you reach the slums you realise you don't have much of a plan, you have to find the girl but where do you start? Without any solid leads you decide to do what few men have done before, you ask for directions. Finding a local you ask if they know where Felt is or barring that where she might be, he tells you he doesn't know where she is but points you to her home before telling you to 'live strong'. It doesn't take long for you to find her home... Home is not a fitting word. What you find is a shanty behind a run down shack, you've seen doghouses more homely than this. Unfortunately she is nowhere to be found, what now? If you keep running around like a headless chicken then nothing will change. You try to come up with a plan, anything when you hear a familiar voice "Hey Bro what are you doing infront of my house" It's her, the young thief brandishing a knife. You can only think of one thing to say"I've come to barter for this" you show her your drawing of the jewel. "Oh your a buyer, why didn't you just say so" But you did say so? she puts away the blade and puts her hands on her hips "If you're interested in a trade i can tell you this won't go cheap. Come on follow me"

The walk is short, turning the corner you see it the 'loot house'. Sick to your stomach you know you have to go in again lest history repeat itself. Inside you see them, the young silver haired woman and older man from the 'time before'. "You! give back what you took from me" the woman is not amused. So felt stole from her as well? In an instant the woman creates floating shards of ice in mid air. Felt had called you a mage 'yesterday' so that must mean this woman was "you're a real witch?!" in your excitement you couldn't help but blurt it out, seemingly to the horror of everyone else in the room. Felt and the old man stare at you in shock, the silver haired woman shifts her anger to you for a moment. Was it something you said? is 'witch' such a horrifiec term in this world? or where they simply horrified of someone acting so excitedly around magic? "I'm not just going to give this back to you..." Felt steps in but it doesn't help the situation. "How about a trade? If i buy the thing and give it back to its owner then everyone's square right?" the three look at you again this time with a sense of confusion "As long as we get paid sure what ever" honestly you just wanted to defuse the situation, you know there is something worse coming the killer and that infighting right now wouldn't help anyone. The womans posture changes, she eases up somewhat "Why would you want to help me?" That's when you see it, a shadow pass the front window, the door cracks open just slightly.

Without hesitation you push the older woman to the ground, a blade just missing her implanting itself into the wooden support. "Be careful she's fast!" you raise your weapon to find the woman is already in the building holding yet another blade. "This won't do at all, i'm sorry but you're all going to have to die"

You might be able to get a clean shot on her, you're not sure. The older woman unleashes a flurry of ice attacks at the attacker, you have to act quickly or things won't end well.

Firing blindly doesn't work, you tried it 'last time' and ended up dead. You decide to stick to what you know, short controlled bursts to the chest.

Three rounds pierce cleanly through the butchers shoulder, then three more through her torso causing her to stagger back. You expect that to be enough, she's still standing but that shouldn't be possible. The murderer looks happy? feeling at her wounds, she must be insane, on some kind of drug or maybe both? "If you surrender now you won't be harmed any further" she doesn't seem phased by your demand at all "It's been a long time since i've felt anything like this, i'll be sure to return the favour" a flurry of ice fly over your head, The killer uses her agility to smash them out of the air, many drive themselves into the floor where she was standing. "Nice distraction stranger" another voice, but there were only five of you in the building? you look over your shoulder to see a small furry creature hovering over the young woman's shoulder, it's making ice out of thin air and shooting them at the attacker.

You ready yourself to fire off another burst when you wounds you'd given the killer had all but disappeared, you're going to need something more than regular bullets to down this 'woman'. "You! take Felt and run, get help" the girl looks frightened, terrified and you can't blame her the old man does as you say picking up the girl and fleeing as fast as he can. Noticing the attacker readying a knife to throw at the young girl you fire a burst which knocks her off balance forcing her to miss the throw. Felt and the old man make it out of the building, you can hear her screaming for help as they run. Time will tell if any actually comes, you know from 'last time' that the locals won't intervene even if a child is in danger. Regardless whatever happens at least she'll be able to live...

"You'll have to do better then that" You ready yourself as the butcher moves to leap into the air for another strike, but she doesn't move... the killer seems stuck to the floor. "I wasn't firing randomly you know" the small creature had used the ice to trap her to the floor, that's some expert marksmanship for a floating cat. "Good job Puck" Puck? must be the name of the magical creature. You feel the air grow colder as a massive ice column forms in front of Puck which it fires towards the killer, the impact smashes through the foundation and creates a smoke cloud "That had to have got her" your hopes of a quick finish to this fight are dashed as the smoke clears you see the slim figure of this butcher. She ripped the sole of her her foot off to dodge the attack then used one of the ice projectiles embedded in the floor to freeze the wound and act as some kind of makeshift shoe. What kind of person does that to their own body?

Nothing seems to keep her down, a grenade might but you don't dare use it inside of a building you're standing in. Not hesitating you fire again into the butcher, twelve rounds dead centre. She stumbled back and you expect a flurry of ice to follow you're barrage, but nothing comes. You look behind you to see the woman holding Puck, the little creature then disappears in a flash of light. "Is he alright?!" did something hit him when you weren't looking? "No he'll be fine, he's just resting." resting, now? the little cat picked an odd time for a nap but you can't question it just yet. You're 'biggest guns' have disappeared and as you look back at the killer you see her wounds have already healed. Your little barrage had only bought you a few moments at best and soon she would be on the attack again. "Miss you should run too, get out of here while you can" the woman shakes her head "I'm not going to leave you to fight so bravely all alone" she's stubborn, you don't know how long you can protect her.

You set aim yet again when the roof caves in, the room fills with a thick smoke. When it clears you see him, a familiar tall red headed man in a long white coat. The same man you had walked into earlier. "I hope i'm not to late." the butcher backs away from this man, is she intimidated by him? "Black hair, black clothes and a blade unique to the north. There is no denying who you are, you are. Elsa Granhiert, the 'Bowel Hunter'." Bowel hunter how disturbingly accurate. The bitch seems amused to hear her name "Reinhardt yes? a knight among knights, Born to a line of master swordsmen, correct? How remarkable, having all of my opponents be so much fun." Fun? is she taking this seriously at all, is this all a game to this 'bowel hunter'. "There are many things i'd like to ask you, please consider surrendering" that won't work, but i guess he has to at least try to end things peacefully. "You expect a starving predator to resist such juicy prey?" you aim your rifle up, she isn't going to go quietly "Hey you, could you stand over there next to her?" he's pointing to the young woman. "She's a monster, you can't do this alone" you protest, he doesn't know what he's getting himself into. "As luck would have it, hunting monsters happens to be my speciality."

The killer launches herself at him; he hasn't even drawn a weapon! You ready yourself to intervene when he sends Elsa flying with a kick; he not only noticed her attack but intercepted it as well. "He's fast" you find yourself muttering to yourself under your breath. "Aren't you going to draw that sword of yours? i'd love to experience its legendary sharpness" you can't help but be unnerved by her attitude yet Reinhardt and the Silver haired woman are completely unphased "This sword can only be drawn when needed. The fact that it hasn't left its sheath means this is not one of those times." reaching down he picks up a sword from the floor which begins to glow, they parry each other his speed matching or even surpassing the attacker. "It's amazing how skilled Reinhardt is, i only wish i could help more. I'm afraid if i tried to use my ice i might miss and hit him instead." as much as you hate to admit it you're in the same position as her, they're both moving so quickly that you could just as easilly miss.

"I gave you a chance to surrender, but you leave me no choice" Reinhardt's sword begins to glow brighter until the room is filled with a blinding light. You find yourself blown back into the wall by the force of his sword hitting its mark, that entire half of the building simply disappears destroyed by whatever energy he is using. There is nothing left of the attacker.

"Thank you, you got us out of a tricky situation. Didn't we bump into each other earlier" You hadn't seen anyone of authority at all further out from the city, so his appearance is somewhat unusual or at least to your limited understanding of this world. "I'm sorry but i must admit to following you. You looked worried and a bit lost so took it upon myself to investigate. I Would have gotten here sooner but i got a bit lost. If it wasn't for these two i might not have found you at all" He points to one of the last surviving building frames, Felt and the old man are standing behind it "The girl who stole my insignia" "If it wasn't for her we'd all be dead" if it wasn't for her we wouldn't be in this situation. You're about to reach out to shake Reinhards hands when a pile of debris from whats left of the building explodes, from it the bowel hunter sprints towards the yong woman. You push her out of the way and use the only thing you have to block the attack, your rifle. The force knocks you to the ground but luckily Reinhard intercepts "That's enough Elsa." He's still warning her? why not break out his sword and end it. "Soon enough i'll disembowel everyone here, but until then take good care of your guts." with an ungracious farewell the Bowel hunter makes her leave.

Checking yourself over you find no wounds, your rifle has a single cut through it's body but it doesn't look like any of the functional parts are damaged. "Are you alright that was far too reckless" The silver haired girl helps you to your feet while patting you down and looking for injuries "I'm fine no need to worry."

"Do you have anywhere to stay? You were lost right? I would happily have you stay with me if you need somewhere to rest. After all if it wasn't for you we might have all died ." it looks like you won't need to sleep in a ruin tonight "If you need somewhere to stay i would be honoured to keep you s my guest. It wouldn't be a bother at all, consider it my way of making it up to you for 'bumping into you' earlier" two prospective accommodations. You think about where you might want to stay but your mind drifts "What about those two?" pointing towards Felt and the old man "Officially i cannot overlook what they have done, but luckily i'm off duty." the witch giggles at the comment. "You saved my life, so i'll give back what i stole" Felt the little thief girl reaches into her pocket and pulls out the insignia to give it to the silver haired woman "If it is so precious maybe you should hide it better" it's weird hearing that advice come from a thief, but she doesn't seem like a bad person.

Out of nowhere Reinhardt grabs Felts hand "What's your name?"

"Uh. It's Felt"

"Your family name, how old are you?"

"I don't have anything fancy like a family name! I'm about fifteen i think now just let me go!"

"Listen you better let go of her or else-" Reinhardt uses some kind of magic on the old man knocking him out cold

"I need you to come with me, i'm sorry but i cannot allow you to refuse." Felt continues to struggle but he uses the same magic to knock her out

"That wasn't very courtly either."

Reinhardt picks up the thief girl before handing over Emilia's Insignia. Is he kidnapping her? What's going on, this isn't befitting what you know of him at all. Could something else be happening or is he really some kind of monster who kidnaps children? You don't know what to think but you do know that You have a decision to make which may have long standing implications for your stay in this world, what do you choose?

"What are you doing with Felt?" You question the red haired knight, he just saved your lives and was about to let felt and the old man go free why would he suddenly change his mind?

He looks you straight in the eye, Reinhardt clearly understands what must be going through your head "The Insignia it glowed when she held it"

"So what is that a crime? It's glowing with her as well you aren't knocking her out" You point to the Silver haired witch, the jewel glows in her hands just as it did in Felts.

"The greater crime would be leaving her here alone. I guess you don't know the significance of the sigil do you?" you shake your head "The insignia will glow when held by a potential heir to the throne, put simply anyone who can make the crystal glow is a potential candidate to become Ruler of the land"

Ruler of the land? so that means that Felt is some kind of princess? A lost thief princess who has no idea of her heritage? and that other girl, the one with the silver hair if it glows with her then she is also some kind of princess with magical powers. You're not sure what to feel at the reveal of these facts, you almost feel as though you're living in a Disney film if Disney films had an 18 rating.

"Ok so Felt and this young woman over here are both kind of like princesses and you want to take Felt somewhere she will be safe?" the silver haired woman blushes at your comment "More or less yes"

You think for a moment, that old man must be her grandfather or guardian the way he protected her you can't just let him be left alone unconscious when a murderous villain is on the loose "If you're taking her you can't just leave him here alone what if the Bowel Hunter returns?"

"You're right but i can't carry both of them and i don't think you could manage carrying the old man on your own, no offence" he's right, the old man is giant nearly three meters tall and built like a brick shit house. Even if you left everything you had you'd struggle to lift him.

"I can help..." The silver haired woman speaks up, there is no way she could help carry the man unless she's stronger then she looks. "I can carry the girl while you two work together to lift the old man" that makes more sense. Reinhardt nods in agreement handing Felt over before moving in to help lift the old man. With a heave ho you muster your strength and hoist the giant into the air, he's a hefty load but you think you can manage.

"Thank you, you didn't have to help us. Not after they stole your sigil"

"It's no bother. Really it's for myself more then anyone else, if i show kindness to them then they will be able to tell me about who wanted to steal my Insignia. So it's not like i don't gain anything from it..." Her words sound somewhat hollow as though she doesn't really believe them herself. You think she really is doing this out of the goodness of her own heart and simply doesn't want anyone to think they owe her anything.

"Well anyway thank you miss... um i'm sorry i didn't catch your name" You feel horrible, did you forget in the hectic battle or did she simply never give out her name?

"It's Emilia" she says it with a smile while walking beside you, carrying Felt in her arms.

"That's a pretty name" You blurt out without thinking, what an idiot

She giggles her face going red, Reinhardt speaks up from the left "Speaking of names you know ours but never introduced yourself?"

"Daniel, it's daniel. But yous can call me Dan"

"Dan, that's a nice name, definitly unique" Unique? well given this is a new world that makes sense

"So i'm guessing you'r not from around here?"

"What gave it away? the name? the clothes or the accent?"

"You're panicked look of confusion earlier, as though you were lost and didn't know where you were going"

"Well actually i'm not from around here, in fact i dont think i'm from this wo-" You fall to the ground, you can't breath as it feels like something is squeezing at your heart. Darkness surrounds you, as you are engulfed in an sickening stench. Grabbing at your chest you desperately try to find what was causing this debilitating pain but you find nothing. You feel a presence behind you, some shadowy figure you turn to face it. The darkness gives way, is she the one who is doing this to you? it's a silver haired woman. As the darkness fades you find yourself on the floor, Emilia lifting sitting over you with Reinhardt holding your head up. That woman in the darkness... She bears a striking resemblance to Emilia, but you can tell they are not the same person.

"Are you ok?"

"Come on speak to us buddy"

The two are clearly worried, the fear on their face is impossible to miss. You take a deep breath and struggle to your feet. The pain has gone now but you find your hand still gripping your chest. "I'm fine"

"You're overworked..."

"The fight must have took to much of a burden on you, i'll carry the old man from here on"

"I said i'm fine" you're small outburst startles the two but they don't object

"If you say you're fine then alright, but if you go down again then i'll have to be more insistent" Emilia nods in agreement with Reinhardt

"So you were saying you weren't from around here, so where are you from?" You think long about how to reply, what if it was something you said which triggered the 'heart attack'? You decide to keep details somewhat sparse

"I'm from a small Island nation, the you won't have heard of it" You can see the eyes of the two widen

"An undiscovered Island with a whole nation on it how wonderfull, what's your home called?" You gamble that saying it's name couldn't bring on another outburst...

" 'The United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' "

Emelia blinks twice "Kingdoms?" her exasperation and wonder is apparent "So i guess that makes you some kind of diplomat?"

"Not quite... I'm a soldier"

Your companions go quiet for a moment, you start to notice grass and tree lines as you carrying the old giant.

"So you're like me then! A Knight" No not a knight, but you don't think to correct him. War in your world isn't as romantic as the stories of knights of old.

"So i told you where i'm from, how about you two?" Emilia looks to the ground as Reinhardt speaks up.

"Born and raised in Lugnica" You're not sure if that is the city you're in or the name of the country, Reinhardt must have sensed your confusion as he quickly expands on his comment "The Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica, it's the kingdom we're in now. " He is definitely good at reading people. "My family home the Astrea Manor is in the capital we should be there shortly"

"How about you?" you gesture to Emilia.

"I live in the Roswaal mansion" A mansion? sounds fancy "It's about 3 days ride from here, you should visit some time you'd be more than welcome" She goes a bit more in-depth into how to reach the mansion should you ever want to go for yourself. "Should you ever find yourself in need of a place to stay you shouldn't hesitate to come" With a smile on her face she welcomes you to her home, you keep that in mind should things go wrong at Reinhardts home.

"Alright we're here" Reinhardt stops you in front of a massive metal gate that's atleast 30ft high. He gets out a small key from his jacket walking you and Emelia over to a smaller side entrance, it creaks open. You're not sure if you can even fit the old man through but somehow you manage, carefully fitting him through before carrying him to the main entrance.

This is the Astrea family home? it's huge! Four stories tall built with stone, elegant windows fill the outer frame. One large tower stands twice again above the rest of the manor, you can see a single dark window at the top. The gardens of the mansion are lush and green filled with well trimmed bushes and trees. You've never seen something so exquisite up close.

Emilia opens the doors for you and your humble companion, Felt still fast asleep in her embrace. Reinhardt motions you to place the old man down on the floor for a moment, he looks around his eyes focused. Is something wrong? Out of the corner of your eye you see something move, it's fast. Did the killer followed you? There's no time to think, you move to ready your weapon as you see - something hit Reinhardt grabbing onto his chest...

"You're Home!" It's a girl? It looks like a girl but her legs... she has bird legs! and there's something up with her hair. She's holding tight onto the red haired knight. He folds his arms around her in an embrace

"I've only been gone a few hours"

"You're not normally out this late, not when off duty so i got a little worried" She looks to be about a year or so younger then Reinhardt, her clothing best described as Casual. "Leanna was just about to set off to rally the guard"

Leanna? from the corridor to your left you see a short woman walking towards you, her long blonde hair swaying as she goes. "That's not true at all Fenix" You sense a bit of embarrassment in her tone, the woman is wearing heavy armour and a similar long-coat to Reinhardt. Seems to you like she wasn't just about to drift off to a good nights sleep.

"Who are these?"

"They're friends and will be staying as long as they need to"

"Oh i'll only be staying the night, i should be going tomorrow"

"There's no rush, you're welcome to stay as long as you need" Reinhardt is as generous as ever but that doesn't seem to be the answer the woman wanted

"I was talking about that man on the floor and the girl she is carrying..."

"Oh... It's a long story i'll fill you in once everyone's sorted. Would you mind helping me get this gentlemen and the young girl somewhere a little more comfy than the floor"

The blonde knight, Leanna nods before walking over to the old man. Her arms glow as she lifts the giant on her own, this girl is strong. The green 'haired' girl, Fenix you think she was called takes Felt out of Emilia hands. They carry them off with Reinhardt leaving you and Emilia in the entrance way alone.

"Thank you" That was sudden? Hadn't she already thanked you earlier?

"You didn't need to help me but you did. Back there you said you would even buy my Insignia back for me..." Does she think she owes you? "You didn't need to do that but you offered anyway even though you don't know me or anything. I just wanted to thank you again"

"No need to thank me! It's my job to help those in need" She smiles "But i have to apologise for what i said earlier" Her eyes narrow a bit as you look to the ground "I said something which clearly was not acceptable, i didn't know that it might make you feel bad but given everyones reaction at the time clearly i crossed the line" She clearly knows what you're talking about, you called her a witch in the pawn shop. "I didn't mean to offend you, you're magic is amazing! When i called you a witch..." That word clearly strikes a cord with her, she seems uncomfortable, you can see her happy demeanor as she strains to keep a smile so you try to hurry "When i said that i meant it in a good way! I was saying you were like Glynda, the good witch of the north! the protector of the people!" You don't think they ever actually gave her a name in the film and you're smudging the details but you hope the point sticks.

"A Good witch..." her words trail, you see her eyes watering and a single tear drip down her cheek. Did you screw up again? You don't know what to say but then she looks you in the eye her smile returned "I hope to help the people some day to" That's the smiling optimistic person you've come to know over the past few hours! her sorrow seemingly gone.

Reinhardt returns with a pair of keys, the two girls standing beside him. "These are keys, they'll unlock any room in the house" what? he's going to trust us with master keys? that's crazy. "I ask that you get some rest as soon as possible, you can have a full tour of the house tomorrow. If you're hungry Fenix will happily cook you up something."

"Thank you, but i'm not hungry."

"Thats fine, i'll take you two to your rooms come on"

You can barely stand you're that exhausted, but you're not particularly hungry. You graciously take your key and follow the strange half human girl. This place is massive but you and Emilia end up sharing opposite rooms

"I'll be just next door so if you need anything don't hesitate to ask" With a wink Fenix leaves you. You open the door to your room, it's massive! Your room is bigger than your old flat back home, a king sized bed sits adjacent to double windows. A small desk and mirror lie in the corner, just by the door is a large walk-in closet the size of your childhood bedroom. Everything is silky red, the bed sheets, the carpet, the curtains. This really is the lap of luxery.

You're tired but you feel like you have a bit more energy in you, you could go exploring a bit even though Reinhardt says you will get a full tour tomorrow. It might just be best to go to bed.

 **Chapter 3 - Re: Luxury**

– Regarding living life of luxury in another world

Life 2

Day 2 ~

It's been a long night, long nights. It feels good to finally be somewhere safe, somewhere you can relax and unwind a bit. You place your hefty rucksack down beside the bed before laying down your rifle on the corner desk, running your finger over the gash left by the Bowel Hunter. "You really came through for me today, thank you" You feel a bit silly talking to an inanimate object, thanking it even but you can't help but feel a bit attached to this hunk of metal.

You unpack your rucksack laying its contents on the soft saturn carpet counting off the items as you go. To your surprise you find a small solar charger in the bag, you don't remember putting that in there? Tucked between the solar cell and main body of the charger is a letter addressed to you, you think to open it but don't have the courage not yet at least, instead you place it on the desk next to your rifle. The thoughts of what happened to your companions back home flood your mind, are they safe? would they be looking for you? did they think you abandoned them? were they dragged to this world as well? You can't cope with these thoughts just yet so you set your mind to planning how you might proceed.

Instead you focus your mind on the day to come, you can come up with a full plan once you've been given a tour of the mansion. Maybe ask Reinhardt or one of the girls to help you learn about this land or even ask them to teach you some magic.

For now at least you seem safe and if that blonde is anywhere near as skilled as Reinhardt you feel as though Elsa wouldn't be a problem. Still your mind fills with the potential dangers of this world, you'd feel alot safer with a gun by your side so you opt to keep your side arm under the feathery pink pillow. It's not much of a consolation, it wouldn't actually kill another attacker of the same 'calibre' of the Bowel Hunter but at the very least it would warn the others of the danger.

Finally you lay your head down to rest, it's time to sleep. The moment your head hits the pillow you're out like a light. You haven't slept that well in a looong time.

'Knock Knock Knock Knock' you hear a soft tapping at the door 'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock' "Come in"

The door opens and through it walks the bird girl you saw last night "Morning sleepy head, Leanna made breakfast and i didn't want yours to go cold so thought i'd bring it to you, you gotta be starving after yesterdays ordeal." she looks kind of cute standing with a tray in her revealing yet somehow respectful attire. You sit up as she walks over to you and places the silver tray on your lap, lifting off the cover to reveal a french style omelette sided with fresh tomatoes, two slices of lightly toasted bread and the biggest sausage you've ever seen. "This looks amazing! Thank you so much" It's definitely better than what you're used to, after months of nothing but military rations this is a god send. "Well it's not really me you should be thanking but i'm glad you enjoy it" She watches you dutifully as you scoff it down. With a triumphant clack you place down your knife and fork "Well if you're all done why don't we meet up with the others? we can-" It's then you hear a loud crash come from somewhere in the building and with it Fenix is gone, dashing out of the room almost faster than you can process.

You grab your handgun then run after her to where you think the noise came from, forgetting your shoes and armour. You turn the corner at the end of the 'wing' you had been staying in to see the front doors of the building obliterated, smashed right out of the frame. Hurrying down the stairs you see the Old man carrying Felt on his back being confronted by Reinhardt and the two women you met last night, Fenix carrying some kind of long stick where did she get the time to get that? and the blonde with nothing but her fists.

"If you wont let us go then we'll have to force our way out." the old man is shouting in a commanding tone. The Giant makes his move trying to rush past Reinhardt sprinting at full pelt towards the gate, he's faster than he looks but he doesn't get far. Bird girl chases after him tripping the giant with her staff.

"We don't want to hurt you, think about this."

"What's there to think about?! Bro leave us alone"

"You have no home, that's my fault and the killer could still be out there. You can't fight her on your own"

"We can make something work! We always have!"

The old man looks at his young companion, he seems to know Reinhardt is right. "Maybe you shouldn't pass up a good thing kid" she looks at the old man clearly unsure of what to think "Here you have food, clean water and a roof over your head. When have you ever had something like that? It's a better live than either of us have ever had." The yard falls silent, you think about intervening but don't know what to say "If you still want to run, i'll be right beside you."

"Ok we'll stay" ... B-but don't try any funny business!" You can see the reluctance on her face, she clearly wants to run away but hears the words of her elder.

"I wouldn't dream of it" Reinhardt extends his hand to the young girl "If you would be so kind as to follow me i would like to show you around your new home." His gaze meets yours as they turn to go back into the mansion "And ofcourse you should come too."

"There are two living wings one on each side of the house, you should be familiar enough with the eastern wing, it's just bedrooms bathrooms and toilets so nothing too fancy... At the beginning and end of each wing is a dining room and kitchen, we normally eat in the front most room of the eastern wing" Bathroom? you can't remember the last time you had a good bath. Reinhardt leads yous deeper into the house through a pair of double doors down a long hallway. On the walls you notice pictures of various sword weilding red-haired figures, you figure these must be members of the Astrea family. At the end of the corridoor your host opens yet another pair of wooden double doors leading to a huge open space, some kind of assembly hall? The ceiling must be at least three stories high with the room itself being as big as two football fields stacked side by side. "This is the Dance Hall but we used to use it for all sorts of gatherings but now it hasn't seen a gathering in a long time" in the far corner of the room you see a grand piano, unlike the rest of the hall it is has been recently dusted and polished.

Continuing the tour you walk over to the side of the hall to even more double doors which open to a long corridoor. Directly across from the doors Reinhardt had opened is a door etched with extravagent symbols. He leads you inside "This is the West library, there is another one on the eastern side" Two libraries? a giant dance hall? how rich is his family? "This library holds many story books and fairly tales while the East library is filled with old historical documents and scientific works." You notice Reinhardt and Leanna smiling the whole while in the library.

After a short time in the library you are directed back out into the hall, to your suprise Felt and the old man have stayed quiet the whole time. Reinhardt walk's yous down the hallway, You think you're nearing the back of the mansion now. A Set of stairs lead up from the corridoor leading up to a final room. "Please, i do ask that you stay away from this room" Reinhardt's tone has become shifted into a one of sorrow. You look about your eyes meeting with Felts but neither of you speak, perhaps it would be better to ask him about it on your own?

As Reinhardt leads you back to the foyer you notice a door that hadn't been pointed out before "Whats this?"

"That's my mothers old workshop... the tools should all work so feel free too-" He stops himself as he notices a familiar face running towards the group

"What happened?! I've been looking everywhere, thought something horrible had happened" she has clearly been stressing out, she's kind of cute even when worried.

Reinhardt rubs his hand through his hair, it seems he'd forgotten about Emilia "Sorry you were asleep when we started the tour so i thought it might be best to leave you to rest" He brushes off the worry with a laugh perhaps trying to calm down the worried woman, but Emilia doesn't seem so amused.

"Would you like a private tour?" did Leanna miss the whole mini panic attack? or was this her way of cutting through the tension?

Emilia recomposes herself "No thank you" brushing her hair to her side you notice her ears, they're pointy? Like a... no she can't be? an Elf?

"Well if that's everything i've got some paper work to fill out, all of you feel free to use my home as you see fit. My home is your home" and with that everyone splits off to do their own thing leaving you thinking on how to continue...

Day 2 - A Magical Evening

With the tour over everyone goes their separate ways and you think on how to spend the rest of the day. Reinhardt and Leanna walk off together it's probably best to leave them to it while Felt, Fenix and the old man are nowhere to be seen, you're choice has almost been made for you. Emelia still looks a bit bothered from this morning so you decide to go talk to her, maybe you can cheer her up? or better yet maybe you can learn something from her.

"Goodmorning"

"Oh hello Dan" She greets you with a smile.

You find yourselves walking down the hallway "You were amazing yesterday you know, how you fought the killer with your magic." truth be told you'd probably be dead if it wasn't for her help with the Bowel Hunter"You're so skilled despite being so young." You almost immediately regret saying that after all you have no idea how skill or teachings of magic work.

"You shouldn't assume a half elf's age based on her looks..." so she is an elf, a half elf. You'd noticed her ears moments ago but wasn't sure how to comment on them.

"Oh please you must be in your 18... 20 tops" Emilia blushes softly and shakes her head. It's not polite to pry into age of a lady so you change the topic."I wish i knew magic like you, if i did i might have been a bit more helpful against miss murder. I'm just glad you were there or we'd not have made it long enough to be rescued, you saved all of us."

"Don't sell yourself short, dan. You did alot more then i did and if you weren't there who knows what could have happened. I didn't really do much..." She's humble and definitely does not like people feeling as though they owe her anything.

"Now who's selling herself short. I've been wondering... would you be willing to teach me to cast spells like you do?" a bit forward but you think that's the best way to ask it.

"Magic is a very complex thing not everyone can do it" You never expected it to be easy

You raise your hand confidently and give her a thumbs up "I'm willing to learn if you'll teach me"

Emilia stands still, you're now in the foyer near the recently destroyed entrance. "That's not the problem, not everyone can use magic ..." your heart sinks just a little but you don't let it get you down. So what if you can't use magic?

"Would you at least be willing to try?" You make your best puppy face, who could resist?

"I'm not really a good teacher..." She looks to her feet, maybe she wasn't the best person to ask for magical training? She's quite young herself so is probably not the most adept. "But ok i'll try, after all it's the least i can do" her doubt dissolves, replaced with a confident smile. "I think first we should start by figuring out your element but i'm sure you know all about that, you clearly know your stuff about witches so must know at least the forms of magic."

You nod along as she talks but really you don't know the first thing about actual real magic "Where i'm from..." You think hard on how what to say, she was so happy with your mention of a 'good witch'. You don't want to shatter that by saying your world has no magic. "Where i'm from we aren't taught about magic. Outside of old tales and legends like the one i told you. So please treat me like i know nothing of magic." Emilia tilts her head and looks at you with narrowed eyes.

"But clearly you must know at least know of the four elements of magic, if only because of your Metia." You're what? You give her a puzzled look "Your odd looking metal staff, is it not a combat Metia?" you scratch your head thinking on the question before remembering what Felt had said in your 'first life', she had believed you to be a magician due to the thunderous crackle of your side arm.

It might be easier to go along with the idea of your guns being magical, but you really don't want to lie to someone who is willing to help you. "My weapons aren't magical" The young woman's eyes widen as if in disbelief "They're no more magical than a sword or bow" you didn't quite think that analogy through, thinking back to last night swords in this world clearly can be magical... "I can show you how they work some time if you'd like?"

Emilia gives you a smile "I'd like that" She's teaching you so perhaps it's only fair to return the favour. "Well then we'll start with the basics. There are four primary magical elements. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water." You break out your note book and write down everything she says. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water sounds pretty straight forward just like out of any fantasy story. "But these are accompanied by both Light and Dark magic or Shadow magic." She walks up to you and places one hand on each side of your head holding it softly "Most people can only use one kind of magic ... this might tingle a bit"

Her hands feel warm on your face, after a few seconds she steps back her eyes wide it's like she's in disbelief. "What is it? is everything alright?"

The look of disbelief quickly fades into a winning smile "We can start training right away" with that she leads you outside, you can see Fenix running laps around the manor her speed is incredible. Emilia leads you to the centre of the field in front of Reinhardt's home. "Ok so this should be a safe distance from the house" a safe distance? you don't like the sounds of that... "To use magic we draw mana - energy from ourselves and the environment around us" Emilia takes you through some breathing and movement exercises meant to help you direct the flow of magic but you feel silly and that it's going nowhere. After a few minutes of repeating Emilia's instructions You feel a light chill in the air "You're doing it!" doing what? you don't see any magic, until you look down it is. The ground has frosted over in a twelve foot circle with you standing at the centre.

You jump with joy, you'd actually performed a magical spell! Even if 'frosting' isn't practical for any combat situation you're definitely progressing. "You really are amazing."

Her face flushes bright red "It's you who did it, i just pointed you the right way." You get the feeling she's not used to receiving compliments.

You spend the rest of the evening going over the basics and by the end you feel confident in your progress even if all you can really manage is making some frost on the floor. You and Emilia are still in the yard when a carriage drawn not by horses but a pair of large dinosaur like creatures pulls up to the mansion. The carriages door opens revealing a tall man in an expensive looking suit, his face covered in white makeup with purple highlights around his eyes. Is he a butler? a clown or jester? He steps out of the carriage "Emilia i'm sorry to keep you waiting but i was caught up with business"

"It's fine really" she looks at him with a sense of respect, so he's definitely not a clown. "Oh Dan!" She gestures to both you and the odd looking man "This is Roswaal L Mathers, he is a good friend of mine"

The man bows lightly to you "It's a pleasure"

"Nice to meet you" you put your hand out for him to shake he looks at it oddly before grasping it, he has a soft yet firm grip. You lead the shaking and he follows.

"Will you be coming with us Dan? The invitation still stands."

"No i think i'll be staying here for a while but thank you, i might pop round sometime if i get the chance."

"I'd like that" with a smile the half-elf and clownish looking man climb into the carriage which quickly makes it's way out of the manor. Since Emilia had gone and your training over you return to your room and review the notes you'd taken before laying down to sleep.

Day 3 - Knightly Teachings

You wake with a stretch to see breakfast has already been placed on the desk. You're really not used to living this luxuriously. Finishing your meal you take out a toothbrush and mostly full tube of toothpaste from your rucksack and head over toe one of the toilets. You'd neglected to brush last night and had brushing was the least of your concerns after your encounter with the Bowel Hunter so haven't freshened up since then. When you've finished you're approached by Reinhardt already fully dressed "Morning"

"Hey Reinhardt Good-morning."

"You have much planned today Dan?"

"Nothing just yet why?"

"Me an Leanna were going to do some training outside iere wondering if you'd like to join in? we can make it fun".

You'd always liked working out and this could be a good opportunity to try and learn some magic from your new red haired friend "Sure why not, just let me get dressed."

Once ready the two of you head outside to see Leanna already stretching near a small pile of wooden swords, like Reinhardt she's in her full set of armour making you feel a little under dressed. Despite the armour she's suprisingly limber you don't think you could reach your toes like her in your armour.

"You decided to join in on the fun? Wonder-full." Like with any good training session you start by stretching, readying your body for the punishment you were about to put it through.

Once finished with the stretching Reinhardt steps down and bigs up a pair of swords, passing one to you. "We'll start with some friendly sparring"

Leanna gives Reinhardt a cheeky grin "You two go first"

Despite receiving close combat training you'd never used a sword before, not even a wooden one. You know immediately that this friendly match would be completely one sided. You and Reinhardt circle each he strikes first landing a blow to the chest. You strike back but he ducks under it and lands yet another hit this time to your belly. They're softer than you'd expect but still fairly hefty. You don't think he's using magic yet still Reinhardt is practically dancing around you, you're better built than he is but he's shorter and more nimble even in his armour. You make a try for his legs but he jumps up and taps you lightly on the head with his wooden blade, landing softly behind you. "Three strikes you're out" It's only been a few minutes but you're already working up a sweat. "I need a bit of a rest after that, you two give it a go"

Leanna steps up, with a whistle Reinhardt signals the start of your match. You don't hesitate and lunge towards the blonde knight but she turns to the right causing you to miss by mere inches, as you're about to regain your footing she grabs your wrist and underarm pulling you up over into the air then straight back into the ground knocking the wind right out of you. You open your eyes almost gasping for air to see her kneeling over you, you can almost see her... wooden blade pointed at your neck "Looks like i win" she says it so cheerfully. She helps you to your feet and pats you down "Doesn't look like i broke anything but i might have gotten a little too rough there, sorry if i hurt you"

"You didn't have to go all out you know..."

"Hey i was just doing it like we normally do, you don't normally go down so fast."

"Not out here anyway" you hear the distant voice of Fenix, she'd been running chores around the house while yous were training. Both Reinhardt and Leanna blush lightly, but how did bird girl hear from so far away?

Brushing off the comment you trade places with Reinhardt, without comment they charge each other. With incredible agility and power it's hard to keep track of their movements, you notice their wooden swords the same ones they'd used in their matches with you had now started glowing softly. Reinhardt is clearly faster than Leanna but the power of her hits continually force Reinhardt to redirect himself, he makes a good effort not to even attempt to block any of her attacks. It's plainly evident you are watching two masters at play. Reinhardt lands the first blow and then a second one but Leanna doesn't let up, striking at his legs clearly trying to get ontop of him like she did with you but while Reinhardt can't avoid the hit he manages to dodge her body. Leanna comes close to landing another hit but Reinhardt flows past it and taps her on the back ending the match.

"You two are amazing, that was like watching something out of a super hero film"

The two bow to each other and then to you "I don't know what a film is but i'll take the compliment, thank you" Leanna nods in agreement

You had already learnt some of the basics of magic use with Emilia the day before so feel confident you can make more progress today. "Could you please teach me to do what you did"

"teach you to spar? Well ofcourse -"

"No i mean the thing with the swords, you made them glow you did it in the loot house as well."

"It's not exactly easy to teach magic, let alone light magic to someone. The chances of you being able to use it are pretty slim"

"Emilia helped me learn some basic magic yesterday, can we at least try?"

"Ok then" Reinhardt taps his chin thoughtfully "Well if you're going to learn Reinforcement then you'll need to know exactly what it is and what it can do" Leanna nods along with what Reinhardt says, silently agreeing with his statements. "Light magic primarily is used to help improve yourself or allies, it can be used to make things stronger or to heal others. It's quite versatile. Now i want you to hold the sword carefully"

"Imagine your inner energy flowing through it , imagine channelling power into the sword." You remember what Emilia had taught you yesterday. Instead of focusing your 'mana' on the environment you focus it to the sword, straining and staring you feel as though you're going to pop a blood vessel. "Don't worry nobody gets it right on the first try, keep going."

It takes almost an half an hour until you notice a faint glow from the wooden sword. Reinhardt and Leanna give you a round of applause "Well Done" - "Just like a pro"

The glow begins to grow exponentially, before you know what's happening Reinhardt has grabbed the sword from your hand and begun running with it throwing the training weapon across the yard. Leanna pushes you to the ground covering you with her coat, even through the thick material you see a bright flash and hear a thunderous explosion, before you can see what had happened you're eyes grow heavy, you hear voices but can't make out what's being said and then nothing.

When you wake you see a white sphere of light being cast by a young woman who is sitting by you. Despite her flat chest she has a cute figure, You try to sit up in the bed but find yourself pushed back down by the woman."Nyaw don't try to get up" You're so dazed you don't even notice the woman's feline features at first. Her ears twitch as she looks over you "You look confused do you Knyow what happened?"

"We were training in the field when -" It hits you, the last thing you remember was seeing Reinhardt running with your glowing sword and then an explosion "Reinhardt, where is he! and Leanna are they -" The woman stops you before you can finish your thought

"They're both A-OK, no-one was hurt in the blast"

"So What happened then? Why am i hear?"

"You channelled to much energy into that training sword turning it into a wooden bomb. It blew a pretty big hole in the garden too all those poor flowers..." She doesn't seem to be taking this seriously

"So no-one was hurt then?" You breve a sigh of relief

"Except you"

"I thought you said noone was hurt?"

"No-one was physically hurt but you drained all of your Mana with the channelling, if Rein hadn't gotten me to help top you up you wouldn't have made it."

Today was a valuable lesson. Magic is a dangerous thing, you need to learn to control it better if you want to use it without hurting yourself. "You saved me, i owe you big"

The cat-girl lets out a small chuckle "You owe Reinhardt more" she's right, he saved your life and gave you a place to stay. You do owe him - "After all who is going to fix that great big hole in the yard now nya" You hadn't thought about that, Reinhardt had already given you so much yet you messed up his home and could easilly of gotten him killed. You're glad everyone is fine at least. "You should get some rest, i'll be sticking around till tomorrow if you need any more help"

The woman pushes back the chair she had been using by your bedside and goes to leave"Thank you, Goodnight"

"Good-Nyaite"

Thoughts of your near death, near second death fill your mind but it doent matter as you drift off before long.

Day 4 - Bird Camp

It's already afternoon when you wake. You feel perfectly fine but the memory of what had happened, or what came close to happening replays in your head. After dressing yourself you head out to the yard determined to fill that hole you'd created but when you get out of the building you see no such hole, the garden is pristine except for a large patch of fresh dirt near the eastern most wall. Sitting by that wall is Fenix sipping a drink, she's covered in dirt and as you get closer you can see a shovel, she must have filled in the hole for you.

"Morning sleepy head, you feeling better?"

"I feel great, whatever that girl did to me last night worked like a charm"

"What Girl? are you seeing ghosts now" what? you definitely met a cat girl in your room last night. Fenix's face is now one of worry, she places her drink down and gets to her feet.

"The cat girl... She used magic to heal me"

Fenix is looking even more concerned now "A cat girl you say?" she rubs her head as though in deep thought "A brunette? Did she wear a cute little bell around her neck?" you nod, now you're doubting what you saw. "That's Felix ... The phantom of Astrea home" Fenix is now dead serious in her pose "She's said to visit those near death, imparting some of her power on those who need it most... Though legend has it those who are visited by the phantom must soon die as the life provided is simply borrowed"

Your parents were superstitious, growing up you'd always hear stories of ghosts and ghouls but always dismissed them but here? now? in a world filled with magic and monsters who knows what could be real.

"Dan Nya" from behind you hear that voice, the one from last night only now it sends a chill down your spine. You're hesitant to turn and look at the source, Fenix seemingly can't see anything. "Nya?" you feel a precence behind you, the cat girl from the night before. She's looking you up and down "Are you ok? ... Hello?" You turn your back to it to see Reinhardt and Leanna, they seem unimpressed.

"Felix saves your life and you're going to ignore him? That's low." Him?

"You mean she's not a phantom..."

"He is very much alive and not a spirit" He?

"Yeeeeeeep i'm right here" you start to get it, Fenix played a little prank on you. Very funny.

"A Formal introduction might be in order" Reinhardt puts his hand on Felixs shoulder "He is a Knight, just like Leanna an I" you're not sure what's more unbelievable, that you thought he was a phantom or that you thought he was a woman.

"The jig is up!" Fenix comes clean "I may have told a little fib to little ol dan here" Felix, Leanna even Reinhardt have a good laugh. "Consider it repayment for making the hole I had to fill" Her tone is filled with a sense of playfulness, despite the emphasis you don't think she holds any real grudge or at least you hope not.

"Well what we came to say is that Felix , Leanna and i are leaving for official business tonight"

"Oh, anything serious?"

"Is paper work serious?"

"We should be back in the morning but if not no need to worry" does he think you're the worrying type or is he just being a good host? "Just thought to give you a heads up before we go" you's chat for a bit before the three knights head off back into the house leaving just you and Fenix who has just started stretching.

"You going back inside?"

"Nah i'm going for a little jog" You'd seen her running laps around the mansion before, how often did she do that?

"Mind if i join you?"

"Only if you don't start seeing phantom ghosts"

You let out a hearty chuckle, it feels nice to laugh for once. You get your stretches out of the way in short order and begin on your 'little jog'. You keep pace with Fenix for a minute or two but you can tell she isn't exerting herself at all, she gives you a sly wink before dashing off down the yard you almost lose your balance as she goes. It doesn't take long for her to lap you, then to lap you again and again. By the time you finish your first round of the manor she must have passed you six or seven times. It feels like you're back at boot camp running laps in a field again. The time flies by and you a good few hours simply running around the place. As the sun begins to set you start to feel weary your steps falter, you begin to slow. You don't want to give up just yet but you're not sure how long you can last. Fenix closes to you and for the first time since the start begins to keep pace with you. Suddenly you feel lighter and find your feet once again "There you go you've got it!" as if being helped up by some invisible force you find it easier to continue. As if filled with energy again you start running at full pelt, no you're running faster than you ever have before. Fenix keeps up with you of course but you can't help but feel invigorated. The two of you continue on like this for some time.

Fenix stops you near the front of the mansion, you're both in need of a good shower. "That was pretty fun, we should try it again sometime" You've never met anyone who enjoyed running. "I've ran a pair of baths for us, yours in just by your room. Fix yourself up, dinner will be ready in an hour or so" When did she have time to run a bath and start dinner? Was she secretly doing that while lapping you? You don't really care as right now a warm bath sounds like heaven. You return to your room and change out of your clothes before heading to the bathroom. It's a massive communal bath easily capable of fitting a half dozen or so people in it. To the side you see a pair of boxers and a towel already laid out for you.

You soak in the water letting it relax and sooth your aching muscles. It's been a long week and now you were finally letting go of all of the stress that had built up since even before you arrived in this new world.

*Smash*

You hear the sound of shattering glass, you rush to your feet and hear a scream. "Felt!" you hadn't seen the young girl much the past few days but now you hear her loud and clear. Through the window you see a shadow as something moves past the light but it's far to quick for you to make it out. You hear the smashing of more glass and then feel an immense pain. It's then you see it, a barbed arrow piercing through the right side of your chest blood gushing from the wound. You hurry out of the bath but slip on your own blood narrowly avoiding yet another arrow. Crawling over the steamy marble floor you just manage to reach for the door and roll out of the room, closing the door behind you as yet more arrows fly through the mansion piercing the wooden door. In almost unbearable pain you force yourself to your feet and begin a hobbled run to Felts room, she had only been sleeping just three doors down from you.

Despite your wound you manage to make it to Felts room, your hand shaking you twist the handle open and fall through onto the saturn carpet. You're not the only victim of this attacker, the old man lies motionless on the ground. At least a dozen arrows have found their way into his body, he must have died defending the girl. Felt is crying over him, she turns to you as you claw your way into the room. She rushes to you using all of her strength to pull you into the corner of the room out of view of the windows. Using her crimson scarf she tries to stem the flow of blood gushing from your wound but it's a fruitless endevour, the arrow had torn a fist sized hole through your back and chest. "Come on don't , Come on!" She's still crying but she's doing her best. "Don't give up" .

You feel cold, something is pulling at you and now you feel that same disgusting presence as you had on that first night. You try desperately to stay awake but can only make out two words "Run ... Felt" You beckon to the girl to leave, to run with all her might but she stubbornly refuses, as the world goes dark the last thing you see is the girl holding you close. "Dont go!"

'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock'

The knocking at the door is drowned out by the sound of your panicked screams. The door flies open as Fenix rushes towards you, you're breathing heavily and still not one hundred percent sure what just happened. The green haired bird girl wraps her arms around you, rubbing your head in a soothing motion "Ssshh you're safe here" she starts singing a lulaby to you, you'd never heard it before but it helps to calm you.

Emilia, Felt and the old man have found their way to your room the concern on their face clear even in your panicked state. Did you just die... again?


	2. Chapter 2

Day 2 - Bird Song

You start to breath more regularly now despite your heart beating a mile to the dozen. Fenix's soft singing calming your soul. Emilia, Felt and the old man have made their way to your bedside their concern melting away as you make a great big grin. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to frighten any of you."

"Who was scared?" Felt hits the old man in his arm jokingly trying to play the hard-man but you can see through the act, you know she was worried about you.

Emilia is next to speak "I'm glad you're ok"

A small head pokes itself out of the half elf's long silver hair, It's the magic cat from the loot house 'puck' you think was his name "So does that mean i can go back to sleep" his words drag on as he lets out a yawn. You've always been more of a dog person but you have to admit he does look cute yawning like that.

"Nightmares are perfectly natural after such a traumatic experience..." You feel her breath on your ear, the heat of her body as she holds you close. Your feathered friend is speaking just loud enough for the others to hear. "I think he'll be fine after some rest" The others take that as a hint and make their leave.

"If you need to talk... You know where to go" was what the old man said meant to be comforting or a polite 'fuck you'?

"Get well soon bro."

"I hope you feel better soon , if you someone to talk to... I'll be across the hall."

With the others gone that leaves you and Fenix alone in your room, the two of you sit together for some time. "Do you wan't to talk about it" yes! yes you do, but what could you say? 'I was murdered twice but somehow returned to life like i'm Bill Murray'. You don't say that, you can't let her or the others think you're insane.

"There's nothing to talk about... It was just a dream. I'm fine really." Really you're not, not fine at all but you have to put on a brave face and keep yourself together. "I think fresh air might be the best thing for me now -"

"Then how about a little run?"

This isn't like last time where she darted in front of you with no effort, no this time she is running beside you the whole way. The exercise does you some good but you're not just doing this to keep up on your cardio. You make a mental note of every inch of the manors perimeter, checking sight lines and potential points of weakness in the wall. You don't notice any faults or major issues after a few laps but come up with a few ideas of where to lay potential traps for anyone trying to break into the manor.

"You're pretty fast" You've seen how fast people in this world are compared to them you're like a truck with flat tires trying to outrun a sports car, is she trying to make you feel better?

"I'm a snail compared to you"

"Oh really? You're keeping up just fine"

"It's not like you're actually trying right now either"

She slows a little cocking her head to the side "I didn't know you'd seen me run at full pelt before..." She's right you hadn't, not in this life. Rom and Felt hadn't made their big break for it today and she hasn't ran full sprint the whole time yous had been jogging.

"You mean you weren't running full on when you came out of nowhere last night and jumped Reinhardt?"

"Huh? i guess i forgot about that." She bought it? "That was just a friendly hello." You're training partner laughs while you have a mental sight of relief. You can't believe she bought it. "But you know..." she's changed tone from before, her voice has gone from nurturing to mischievous "I wasn't going all out."

"Alright then... Lets race!" You point to a lone apple tree about a hundred meters down the field "First one to that tree wins"

Fenix lets out a coy smile "Count it down then"

"3 , 2 , 1 ... GO!" With that you move from a light jog to a full on sprint pulling into the lead, Fenix hasn't changed up her pace at all and lags behind. "Is that as fast as you can go"

The tree grows closer by the seonc Sixty meters, Fifty. You look behind you and she still hasn't picked up the pace, at the current rate there is no way you could lose. Forty, Thirty... you can almost touch the tree. You're almost disapointed she took it soo easy on you but you're still enjoying yourself. Before you reach the goal you hear a thunderous roar, had someone fired your gun? You stop in your tracks and turn around but Fenix is nowhere to be seen. "Fenix!" You can't hold in the worry, she had disapeared and someone must have started firing your weapon, it's then you feel a light tapping on your shoulder.

"Hello" It's Fenix standing behind you with a huge grin stretching from cheek to cheek. She's sweating and clearly out of breath but she's safe. She didn't run so fast 'yesterday' was this her true top speed? "Hey i'm right here." You had lost focus for a moment, the play full look on your friends face had been replaced by one of concern. She places her hands on your shoulders and stares into your eyes.

"Sorry it's just you were so fast i was kind of taken aback by it..." You laugh it off like you hadn't just had a mini freak out. Luckilly she laughs it off along with you "If i didn't trip up there near the end i totally would have had you beat."

"I don't doubt it." You're both pretty beat from such a good work out so decide to call it quits for the day. Yous have a slow walk to the front of the mansion to see Emilia's carriage pulling out of the front gate, you'd missed the chance to say goodbye. "I think i'm going to have an early night, we should do this again sometime. Who knows next time you might win." With that you return to your room. On the desk you notice a letter written in the local language, you can't make heads or tails of what it says but you have an idea of who it's from as a light sweet scent permeates the air, the same perfume that Emilia must use. You know Reinhardt will be around early in the morning so figure you can just show it to him then.

Day 3 - A Knightly Beating

Once again you wake with a great big stretch, your legs are a bit stiff from yesterdays work out but that's normal. Breakfast is on your desk waiting for you when you get up, you hurry it down before getting dressed for another long days work out. Making sure to grab the letter first you walk out into the hall to see Reinhardt coming towards you.

"Morning"

"Hey Reinhardt what's up"

"Me and Leanna were going to do some training outside and were wondering if you'd wanna join in? It could be fun"

"Sure i'd love to, but before we do could you tell me what this says? I can't read this language." you hand him the letter you found in your room the night before

"Of-course... it's from Emilia. I wanted to speak to you earlier but you were busy, you seemed to be enjoying yourself so much so i didn't want to spoil it. You were so brave last night, if you weren't there i don't know what would have happened. I don't have much to give you as thanks for what you did but if you are ever in need of a place to stay you will always have a home at the Mather's estate."

"Thank you." He hands you back the note which you quickly put back into your room before rejoining him. The two of you head outside to see Leanna already stretching just like last time.

"You decided to join in on the fun? Wonder-full." Like with any good training session you start by stretching, readying your body for the punishment you were about to put it through. You get a sense of Dejavu but then you really have done this before. Instead of waiting for waiting for Reinhardt to propose the training you get straight to business picking up a pair of practice swords passing one to Reinhardt "Why don't we start with a little sword play? Just to warm us up a bit."

"It's like You read my mind. Why don't we go first?"

"This should be fun."

You're still a complete novice when it comes to sword fighting but at least after yesterday you have a better idea of how to stand when holding one and how to swing one properly. Still there is no way this match will be even close to fair. You decide to use the one advantage you have over your partners, the power of foresight. Reinhardt strikes first but you're ready bringing your sword around as he comes close for a mutual hit. He's fighting slower with you than with Leanna and nowhere near his potential but you still can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at landing even a single blow. "You're pretty good Dan i wasn't expecting that, but you know with a hit like that i won't be able to go easy on you anymore..." Despite that quip he's still moving slow enough for you to keep up with him but now you can't get a hit in. With two swift yet soft jabs he ends the match. "That was fun i think i'll need a rest, why don't you two go at it?"

Reinhardt steps away letting Leanna get into your little 'training circle'. Like last time you rush forward and as before Leanna steps to her right but you'd prepared for it swinging just a few inches closer to her landing the first hit. Her arms slides over your wooden sword preparing for her finisher move, you side step trying to avoid it but she still grabs your arm twisting it behind your back causing you to drop your sword. "You Lost your weapon i win" she lets out yet another cheerful celebration of victory.

"I actually got a hit in so i win if that was a real fight you'd be a goner."

"Why don't we call it a draw?"

"If it had been a real fight you'd be a puddle on the floor." She's clearly competitive

"A draw it is!"

Leanna pouts giving Reinhardt an expression as if to say 'really?' She pats you on the back "It was a Good match" she could have been a little softer, you sense she doesn't like losing. "It's easy to see you're not used to fighting with blades, but you make up with it by fighting smart. If you keep it up you might get near enough to us that you can be a good challenge." Was that a compliment? You didn't sense any hint of sarcasm or irony.

"You're not half bad yourself, not quite on Reinhardts level but i don't think i've met a woman as strong as you before"

The blonde knights face flushes red at your comment "Well no-ones as strong as Rein" Now he's blushing. You step out picking a spot to watch their match. Reinhardt wins yet again but you can't help but feel awed at the spectacle.

"You two really are incredible" the two bow to each other and then to you, now the warm ups were over you wanted to get to the meat of the training"You're weapons were glowing, you use reinforcement magic correct?" Reinhardt nods "Could you teach me to use it like you? I've had some basic training but... well let's say i can't really make practical use of it."

"You can use Light magic?" Leannas interest peaks at the notion "It's so rare, very few people have the capacity to even try..."

"Sure we'd be happy to teach you." Without a sense of hesitation Reinhardt is more than happy to help. "When you said you can't make practical use of it, what did you mean?"

"When i try using it the objects i'm 'reinforcing' tend to explode..."

"That's a simple problem, you're using to much Mana to reinforce the weapon it just can't take it."

"Think of it like filling a glass, once full anything else you pour into it will spill out. In this case once you've filled up the item the mana will find a way to escape, usually the mana will harmlessly radiate out but if too much is used then the object simply can't take it and will explode violently"

It's exactly like you were told, you used too much energy when reinforcing the weapon causing it to cook off like a grenade. "Can you help me to control the flow of mana?"

"Of course"

"Wouldn't be very good knights if we couldn't"

The pair take you through a set of excercises designed to help regulate and control the mana within your own body, you feel silly doing them but no-one's laughing. Once the mana exercises are finished you are handed a wooden sword, you hold it up high as Reinhardt and Leanna stand on either side of you holding tight to your back and arms.

"If there is a catastrophic energy build up we can disperse it safely."

"Think of us like your safety blanket."

More like a pair of training wheels. Unlike last time it only takes a few minutes for the sword to begin glowing, you maintain the soft glow without it exploding.

"Amazing, well done!"

"With some more training you might even pass for a Royal Knight"

"It's not much but the sword's definitly stronger now."

You begin to feel woozy, even at this low level reinforcing the weapon is taking alot out of you. You do your best to try and not show the butterflies in your stomach. "Can we try more?"

"If you feel up to it"

Concentrating as well as you can you try to limit the energy flowing into the training blade, it begins to glow even brighter and brighter until you feel the two Knights grip you tighter. You try to stop the mana flow but you can't, the air suddenly begins to grow warmer as the sword continues to glow brighter until finally it crumbles to dust in your hands. You stumble but are caught before you can fall.

"What happened"

"We absorbed the excess Mana"

"Are you two going to be alright?!"

"Don't worry about it our bodies are used to high doses of energy" She gives you a cheerful pat on the back, you're still a little worried about them but trust in their skills.

"You're going to be fine too but it's best to be safe than sorry, we have a guest coming over who can check you over"

A guest? It must be Felix, you'd thought he came over just for you but it seems not. The three of you return to the comforts of the mansion where Fenix has prepared dinner... Some kind of soup with a side of bread? It doesn't look particularly appetising, the grey-brownish lumpy meal You can't even tell what it is but both Reinhardt and Leanna chow it down without complaint so it must be good? You take a spoonful and bring it close to eat, the smell is overwhelming you think 'but maybe it tastes better than it smells?' It does not. You barley manage to hold down one whole spoonful yet Reinhardt and Leanna have almost finished their bowl.

"How do you like it?" You don't, you don't like it at all. This must be why Leanna had cooked yesterdays meals

You can't tell the truth, you'd break her heart. "I can honestly say i've never had anything like it" well it's not a lie.

"Everyone loves my cooking! I made plenty so eat as much as you want" Her voice is filled with so much pride, would it be kinder to just tell the truth here and now? You decide against it. You do your best to finish your bowl, now you know why Reinhardt and Leanna had rushed through theirs, if you can't taste it you can tolerate it better.

"Wow all done? Bet you want seconds" Fenix is standing by the dining table holding out another bowl for you but you politely refuse.

"Sorry but i'm so full, couldn't eat another bite" You rush to bed as quick as you can, anything to get away from that 'food'. You hear Reinhardt greeting Felix at the door but drift off before seeing him.

Day 4 -

It's about eleven when you wake, half asleep you walk into the corridor to find Felt carrying some kind of ornamental vase, her coat and shorts look stuffed with other trinkets. You raise your brow and tilt your head at the young girl "Bro this is mine! The red head said 'what's his is mine' so i'm just making good on that offer."

"Hey i wasn't judging."

"Well good". A necklace drops out of her shirt but she doesn't seem to notice, the girl carriers her loot into her room. You decide to pick up the necklace and go to give it back to her. Her room is as big as yours but it doesn't feel like it, the whole place is filled with things from around the house including three fancy cupboards and two sofas. "Didn't you know it's rude to walk into a girls room without asking?"

"You dropped this." You hand her the necklace

"Oh... Thank you".

"How have you been liking it here?"

"It's not too bad but i don't like being forced to stay. Worst still i don't even know why he wants me here."

"It might be best to stay, even if it's just for now. That killer vowed to get us and you wouldn't be much safer out there..." That might now be true, but at least here you can make a plan. "Wait did you say Reinhardt didn't tell you why he brought you?" the young girl shakes her head.

"I'm just glad Rom's here with me..." Rom? so that's the name of the Old giant. "I don't know why that pompus knight brought him along but i'm not complaining" That was partly thanks to you, but you don't feel like 'bragging' about it.

"You have family here at least that's something to be thankful for" You take a seat on her bed before lying back sinking into the soft mattress "It must be nice not having to go around stealing to survive anymore."

"Being stuck indoors all day isn't so nice though"

"This mansions huge i'm sure you've gotten to exploring it the past few days"

"Not that there's much to explore... Think i've been everywhere there is to be in here except that locked room in the back i can't even pick the lock."

"Let's say for a hypothetical if i wanted to sneak around without anyone outside seeing me how would i do that?"

"Those twenty foot walls pretty much stop that bro."

"Say for a second that someone found their ways inside of the walls, how would you avoid them?"

Felt thinks on it for a moment "Well ducking down helps... making sure they can't see you. Rom can cook up some nasty smoke bombs"

"Those things are works of art" the old man chips in, how long had he been listening to you? "If you want i can show you how to do them, we'll just need to pop by the kitchen first. Best to put them together in an actual workshop though."

The kitchen? "I'd like that yeah"

After a short trip to one of the kitchens to pick up a mish mash of ingredients you head to the work shop, the room is dug deem into the heart of the mansion and has what looks like some pretty thick walls. It could make for the perfect place to hold out in an attack. The old man goes through the process of making one of his home made smoke bombs, they're fairly big and weighty but incredibly simple to do. You should be able to make one now in any kitchen or workshop you come across. Felt had wondered off before he finished putting the bombs together and now that he's finished the old man is heading his own way.

You decide to spend the rest of the day preparing for the attack, closing blinds and curtains, pushing cupboards infront of windows and readying yourself mentally for what's to come. You're not even half way done with your wing of the mansion when you hear Reinhardt, Leanna and Felix leave. It's only about a matter of hours now till the attack and you haven't finished preparations.

"What are you doing?"

"Bro, What's with all the noise?"

It's Felt and Fenix, seem's you weren't as quiet as you thought rearranging the furniture. You can't tell them the truth they wouldn't believe you and you can't protect them if they think you're crazy.

"You're safe here, don't forget that"

"I've got something to show yous in the workshop!" a full redirect of the conversation. "Felt go get Rom he'll love it."

The four of you gather in the workshop where you bring in a few mattresses and some sheets. You then set up your phone stand and start flicking through the videos, The others looking on in amazement. You hit play on one of the many films on the phones hardrive "The Wizard of Oz" it's a bit old but you doubt they would care that much, they're practically speachless at the phone itself.

"This is what we call a 'movie' it's like a play only in a box"

"This is amazing!"

"I've never seen anything like it"

Felt reaches out to touch the screen pausing the video "What happened?"

"If you touch it it stops, so try not to ok?" You hope this will keep them in one place long enough for you to do something about the attacker. The three are practically glued to your phones screen giving you opportunity to leave, first things first you extinguish all of the lights you can and then ready your night vision, being careful to stay low to the ground as not to be seen. Once done you take position in Felts room waiting...

It takes about an hour before you see them, a group of attackers climbing over the walls carrying a mix of weapons. Seemingly lead by a well dressed woman wearing a long cape.

You count sixteen of them at most, there may be more climbing over from other parts of the wall but you can't tell. They seem to be readying to attack as the tall woman is directing the individual attackers, each one wearing a long dark robe which causes some issues with the Night Vision goggles. Regardless you now have some idea of what you're up against and some idea of how to proceed.

You quietly open the window careful not to draw attention to yourself, taking aim at the centre of the group a perfect target for your launcher. With a silent 'oomph' you launch a vessel of destruction towards the killers. The explosion blinds out your goggles, not wanting to waste any of your precious ammunition you wait for it to die down before firing again. As the flash subsides you ready aim again yet see nothing, no killers, no fence or wall not even the ground. Somehow the yard has been engulfed in some kind of dark black smoke which completely blocks your vision of the exterior, even the stary night sky has been darkened by this darkness.

"Do they have smoke bombs?" If they had you hadn't seen any, there's no way you could have missed one big enough to shroud the entire estate. From another room you hear the shattering of glass, the attackers are inside the house. In the hallway you see two cloaked attackers wielding rapiers, you don't hesitate rapidly dispatching them with two short bursts. Cautiously you move down the hall expecting the killers to jump up at any second but the moment never comes, you kneel down to check the pulse of one of the cloaked villains, they're dead "Looks like you'll be good for something after all" You feel good knowing that you won't be reduced to a flashy 'set piece' like in the fight with Elsa.

The mansion is now filling with the same black smoke which blocked your view of the outside, night vision essentially useless you flick on the torch on your helmet to help cut through the black. Making your way through the 'fog' you start to feel sickly as though the very air was eating away at your soul yet you continued on. As you carefully make your way down the corridor you see three men clenching, no clawing at their throats gasping for air on the floor. Turning the corner towards the workshop you see Fenix slumped against the door barely conscious with a half dozen attackers dead around her.

"You're safe." Shrouded by the darkness at first you don't notice just how badly injured she is but as you close you see her left arm had been completely torn off. "The girl... She's still in there. You have to get her out of here."

"What about the old man?" She just looks down to the floor, you don't need words to understand."You'll be fine just hang in there." You take out the first aid kit from your rucksack and try in vein to stop the bleeding, you simply don't have enough bandages to cover the wound. In desperation you rip up the cloak of one of the attackers to supplement your treatment. Even as you pour on the disinfectant she holds in the pain, you hold back from being sick, you had received basic first aid training but have never found the need to use it before. "You're being very brave now i'm almost finished ... and done." With the treatment finished as well as you can manage you carefully lift Fenix, carrying her into the workshop.

"We need to stay here until help arrives."

"If we don't leave we're all going to die in here just like them" she's practically screaming, them?

"I can't fight carrying Fenix and i won't -"

"She's dead Dan! They're both dead."

"No that can't be right she was fine" You look down at the woman you're carrying, checking for breathing, for a pulse for any sign of life where none exists. You feel tears trickling down your face, why? You had only known these people for a few days, why did you feel like this? You didn't acknowledge it but you were in shock.

"We have to go now!"

"You hide i'll kill these mother fuckers."

"I'm not going to hide away while you get yourself killed."

"Felt you're just a kid, you can't fight them. As soon as i'm out of that door you block it, understand?" The young girl looks to her dead friend then back at you tears flowing without end. "Do you understand?" she nods reluctantly. You place Fenix on the floor, her body still warm. You're hands are shaking, you take a moment to focus your resolve. At that moment one of the cloaked killers smashes down the door and charges at felt, without a second thought you unsheathe your blade and drive it through their jaw, they struggle for a moment before letting go. With the door gone you couldn't leave Felt in the room alone.

"Follow me but stay close to my back"

"Right"

You take the lead your rifle pointed frontward, the fog stilled ensnared the mansion and the only way to see through it was your flashlight marking you like a big bright beacon. As you and the young girl make your way to the entrance you started to wonder about the nature of your enemies, how many attackers were there? The one in the workshop would be your third kill, not counting any caught in the blast while felt had got at least nine of them. Was there more than you first thought or was that it? It doesn't take long to reach the front doors, you can't see anyone out in the yard but that doesn't mean no-one is there.

"If we run we might be able to make it out of here."

"It's not safe we need to plan this out." But there is no time to plan, you feel the air growing colder then see it, the hard floor of the foyer turning to ice. Not knowing what would happen if you had stayed you grab felt, throwing her into the yard. You make it out unscathed then fall to the ground, looking down you see chunks of your own frozen leg shattered behind you. The ice must have flash-froze your foot in the seconds between you noticing it and fleeing the manor. You're rifle is nowhere to be seen, you must have dropped it in the confusion.

Felt struggles to drag you further from the mansion, struggling to move you even inches, you doubt that even without your rucksack that she'd be able to pull you with any real success. The darkness warps your sense of time, you try to bring yourself up but are pushed to the ground by Felt, an arrow cutting through the poor girl. Using what strength you have left you crawl over to her, the wound is simply indescribable. You hold her in your arms, you had failed.

"Someone's alive"

Two men grab hold of you pinning you to the floor

"Hmm" out of the dark a figure approaches, the shadows rapidly clearing as she nears. How could it last so long yet so suddenly disappear? "I think we can make this work" She is clearly the leader of the attackers.

"We needed the girl."

"Oh sweety don't worry about the girl, she can serve us in death just as well as in life." the dark haired woman approached you taking away your side arm "The foreign soldier from a far away land" You were still processing the situation, as the fog cleared so too did your mind. You struggle but the two attackers have you pinned tight. Knealing down to your level the woman plants a kiss on your cheek "You're going to help us change the world" but you're having none of it, you throw your head forward smashing her in the face.

"Fuck you"

The woman holds her head up to step the blood flow from her now clearly broken nose. "I like you, we're going to have so much fun together." What started as a tingle where the woman had kissed you had now turned into a crippling burning sensation. "Let him go boys. If he wants to leave what right have we to stop him?" You struggled to your knees trying to crawl forward but truth is you couldn't, no didn't want to leave. You wanted to follow this crazy bitch, to do everything you could to please her.

"I'll kill you" you struggle in defiance against your own body, reaching for a grenade then pulling the pin.

"Oh what's that? You want to kill me?"

"No. I WILL kill you and then i'm going to stop you." The killers begin laughing, their crazed hysterical laughter is the last thing you hear before the brief light and then sudden darkness. You wake to the familiar sight of your room in the Astrea mansion and then.

'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock'

You had died yet again.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Day 2 -**_  
'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock' ... 'Knock Knock Knock Knock'

You're back in that familiar room, that dreaded room. _"Come in."_

 _"Morning sleepy head, Leanna made breakfast and i didn't want yours to go cold so thought i'd bring it to you, you gotta be starving after yesterdays ordeal."_ Fenix walks over to your bed revealing the meal you had become all too familiar with, a french style omelette sided with fresh tomatoes, two slices of lightly toasted bread and the biggest sausage you've ever seen.

 _"Smells delicious."_ You put on a smile but below your cheerful facade you were holding back so much pain, as you tale a bite of the jumbo-sized sausage a tear trickles down your cheek and then another then another.  
 _  
"Is something wrong with the food? I'm sure Leanna would be happy to make you something else..."_ She grabs the sides of the silver tray, waiting for your word to take it away.

 _"No, no. It's just..."_ your voice cracks just a little _"I've never tasted something so delicious in my entire life"_ That was a lie, not only had you tasted better meat back home but you'd had this **_exact_** same meal many times before. The tears are now streaming as you slowly chew into your meal.

Fenix looks at you with a sense of understanding. _"I know just how that feels..."_ No, she didn't know how you felt at all. _"I don't know where your from but don't worry! We're going to take good care of you as long as you're here."_

 _"I'll return the favour... I'll help however i can."_

The half human girl shook her head _"You're a guest here, you have nothing to repay. Trust me ~."_ Before she can continue she is cut off by a loud crash, Felt and Rom must be making their escape again. Like a flash your green haired helper is gone but you know that there is no real danger so take your time to get ready before stretching. By the time you've readied yourself and made your way to the foyer the situation is already under control with everyone waiting near the now destroyed entrance.

"Dan!" It's Reinhardt "we're just about to take these two on a tour of the grounds, wanna come?"

You already know your way around so really there's no point "Nah it's alright, i was thinking of just going for a run if that's alright with you" The red haired Knight nods before taking the others deeper into the mansion, with the exception of Fenix who approaches you.

 _"Would it be alright if i joined you?"_

Given how many times you tagged along with her morning jog you see no reason to refuse her _"Sure, think you can keep up with me?"_

She gives you a coy smile _"Oh i'm sure i can manage."_

The two of you begin with some light jogging, Fenix staying close beside you for the entire time. You wonder back to the first time yous had spent the evening together how she left you in the dust, you wonder why she hadn't done so since but such thoughts aren't important just yet. You decide that right now planning for how to deal with the coming attack was the most important thing right now, the calm warm winds help you to focus while Fenix's constant presence helps to remind you of what you need to protect.

After a long day you retire to your room noticing there is a note on your desk, walking over to the desk you see it's the one from Emilia, given you know what it says you won't need to ask Reinhardt to translate for you tomorrow.

 _Day 3 -_

You wake and get dressed before heading out to see Reinhardt, determined to gain control over your magical abilities. To be honest you were getting tired of being beaten so badly, you walk through the same song and dance as every other sparring session stretching outside and taking up a wooden training sword, only this time you're confident you can win the match. _"We'll start with some friendly sparring"_

Leanna gives Reinhardt a cheeky grin _**"You two go first"**_

If nothing else you figure your experience reliving the same fight over and over would give you an edge. You and Reinhardt circle each other making a light trail in the grass as your sword begins to glow, time to use your Reinforcement magic in a practical setting. Your sword begins to glow a soft azure, Reinhardt's eyes widen. You move to strike first but fumble as your target had disappeared, it's then you feel several sharp jabs around your body.

 _"I'm sorry i thought you might have been faster than that"_ He had won, did he over estimate your skills due to use of the magic?

 _ **"You're still a novice with that aren't you?"**_ You can't tell if she's talking about the sword or the magic but you nod anyway

 _"I've been trained by some incredible people... But, well training takes time."_ _  
_ _  
"We can help you if you'd like?"_ no hesitation as usual.

The three of you spend most of the day focusing on training you in the use of reinforcement magic, you're now confident to use it in actual combat but how much of an effect it will have you don't know.

 _"Before that i have something to give you, it's in my room."_

 _"Alright"_ Reinhardt and Leanna follow you to your room there you present him with a Radio

 _"This is a device which will let us communicate over long distances, can you please keep it with you if you are to leave the mansion?"_ You show him how to use it and how to charge it.

 _"Well with that out of the way we're going to go have dinner, you coming?"_ _  
_ _  
"No i think i'll sit it out today"_ You remember what that 'food' was like, you weren't going through that again.

Day 4 -

You know where the killers are coming from and so know how to prepare. You Get to work moving matresses and heavy objects into the workshop, these will make for decent barricades should the door get broken down again. When Reinhardt leaves you decide to distract the others the same way you did last time using your phone and a film. While somewhat cramped they don't complain and are yet again fixed to the screen.

Ten minutes to the attack you decide to call for help. Hopefully you've timed it right otherwise you'll look like a fool or worse a liar.

 _"Reinhardt are you there."_

 _"Is something wrong? i'm in the middle of an important meeting"_

 _"We're under attack, a group of about 20 people wearing dark robes has climbed into the manor, how fast can you get back here?"_

 _"Get the others and hold up somewhere safe we'll be there shortly"_

The cavalry had been called and now you wait for the attack.

Your rifle begins to glow a soft blue as magical energies begin to flow into it, you take aim when "MAGE!" one of the attackers spots you, without hesitation you fire off a grenade. The explosion is far greater than you had expected easily two or three times more powerful than it would have been otherwise. When the smoke clears only a handful of attackers remain hidden behind a dome of ice. You fire a burst, blue trails illuminating the bullets baths but the structure holds strong. Not sure if another grenade would pierce the magical-barrier you decide to check on the others, if more attackers had scaled other sections of the wall they could be in trouble.

 _"Did you hear that?"_ You almost ran right into Fenix on your way to the workshop.

 _"It was me, we're under attack. Is everyone ~"_

 _"Still in the workshop? Yes."_

"We're going to hold up in there until help arrives, Reinhardt's orders." The two of you return to the workshop to see that Felt and Rom had indeed stayed where they had been told.

Together you and Rom use the workbenches to create a barricade and then do all you can, wait. Another ten minutes pass when you hear a familiar voice over your radio _**"Hello? Hello? We've secured the yard and are now making our way into the manor, it should be safe for you to come out of hiding."**_ It was Leanna, had Reinhardt been hurt? thoughts of the worst fill your mind. Without even consulting you Rom removes the hastily put together barricade you open the door to find a trio of Knights who guide you and the others to the front yard. There you see two dozen Knights and what must be close to sixty regular town guardsmen, Reinhardt clearly doesn't mess about when it came to his home.

The once green garden is now a total wasteland, the grass burnt beyond recognition while charred chunks of the attackers you dispatched are spread across the grounds. Near the front gate you can see Reinhardt talking to another older well built knight, as you approach them the similarities between the two become apparent. Were they related? A silly question the resemblance was uncanny it almost look like Reinhardt was talking to himself aged up twenty or thirty years. Reinhardt spots you out of the corner of his eye but before he can say anything he is jumped by a certain green haired bird. "You're all safe, it's a good thing you hailed us a pair of mages would be a danger to anyone."

 _"Where are they? Did you kill them?"_

 _"No when they saw us they surrendered, we've put the three of them each in separate carriages."_

 _"Your friends made alot of mess didn't they."_ Felt was far to young to be out here seeing this.

 _"That wasn't us, the yard was like that when we got here."_

 _"That was me"_ You let off a light chuckle and rub the back of your head.

 _"Bro no way you did all that! Why didn't you use that power before then when our lives were at stake hmmm?"_

 _"If i'd used it indoors we'd be the ones in burnt out chunks right now."_

 ** _"Impressive young man"_** The older Astrea was built like a brick shit house with a deep piercing voice.

 _"Oh i haven't introduced you two, Dan this is my father Heinkel Astrea. Vice Captain of the Royal Guard."_

 _ **"I've heard alot about you young man these past few hours, it's a pleasure to meet you in person."**_ You raise your hand out for him to shake but he doesn't understand the gesture.

 _"It's an honour to meet you too, you have raised an incredible son"_

Reinhardt blushes at your comment, it looks like he is about to talk before a certain thief speaks up _"You said you could protect us, that we would be safe yet we were still attacked here. Reinhardt i don't see any reason we should stay here anymore."_

 _ **"The lack of security was a gross oversight madam, rest assured we are preparing a permanent solution to this problem."**_ A permanent solution? _**"Twenty guardsmen and a half dozen knights will be stationed here from now on."**_ Reinhardts father doesn't mess about, was he the one responsible for such an overwhelming number of Knights swarming the manor? __ _ **"I suggest you all get some sleep. Rest assured that no harm shall come to you tonight for we are here."**_

 _Day 5 -_ _  
_ _You could barely sleep the thoughts of what had happened filling your mind, the guards clanging through the corridors doesn't help either. In the end you don't sleep, instead thinking on what to do now. They had just carted away the perpetrators of the attack and who must be the group leader, you want a word with them. You meet with Reinhardt early in the day, he had already scheduled to head out to the Guard headquarters and so you convince him to take you with him. He's reluctant at first but trusts you and trusts that you will be able to meet with the killers without violence._

 _It's a massive stone building which towers over all of the surrounding homes. It's a grand building, even the inner halls are lavishly lined and well finished. The place doesn't so much look like a military structure as it does a mansion. You see groups of knights, nobles and other wealthy citizens wandering in and out of the Guard HQ. Reinhardt walks you through the colossal building eventually reaching a set of stairs which spirals deep into the earth. Despite being a dungeon this portion of the building was still as brightly lit and well finished as the rest of the building._

 _Reinhardt talks with a pair of guards outside of the door, here you pick of a faint sickly sweet scent which turns your stomach. You can't tell if it's coming from the guards or from inside of the room but you can't avoid it, none of the others seem to notice it however or perhaps they simply don't care._

 _"Here she is, beyond this door lies the perpetrator of the attack which you so skillfully thwarted."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"What about the other two?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"They bit off their own tongues so i doubt you'll get anything useful from them... So are you ready?"_ _You nod before heading in. As the door opens the 'stench' hits you all at once, you gag struggling to keep in what desperately wanted out, you find yourself curled over holding onto the wall._ _"Are you alright? We can do this another time you know..."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"I'm fine... It's just some of last nights dinner coming to say hello, you know how Fenix's cooking can be."_ _  
_ _  
The interrogation room is circular the walls lined with blue crystals and the floor engraved with some symbols you can't read. In the centre of the room sits a vile woman strapped into a metal chair, the chair is engraved with even more symbols._

 _ **"Ah it's you, the foreign soldier so far from home. Just the person i wanted to see."**_ _Her voice cuts deep, with every word it feels as though your heart is burning out. You still have full control over your body but the pain is ever present, could this be 'phantom pain'? or did some effect of her magic carry over from the death! No that's not possible, you're fine this pain must be in your head._ _ **"Oh are you giving me the silent treatment? How coy..."**_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Who are you?"_ _You don't want to play into her games._ _  
_ _  
_ _ **"Lets trade, My name and the answer to all your questions for a kiss!"**_ _Her sickening smile disturbs you almost as much as the stench that has been overwhelming your senses._ __

 _"Reinhardt no-one has actually taken her up on that offer right?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Of course not"_ _  
_ _  
_ _ **"What's the matter honey, women have needs you know and well i can't help but share the love..."**_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Answer my questions or else ~"_ __

 _ **"Or else you'll ravage me? Oh please don't hold back."**_ _She's sick and you don't know how to get through. Violent interrogation simply doesn't work and you haven't been trained to deal with proper interrogation procedure._ _  
_ _  
_ _"If you co-operate i'm sure we can make your imprisonment more comfortable"_ _  
_ _  
_ _ **"Such a sweet carrot you are, but then who is the stick. It's certainly not him"**_ _She gestures to Reinhardt with her eyes, he's no bad cop and you bet he knows as well as you do that smacking up a prisoner is unlikely to get through successfully_ _ **"You know i can help you return home..."**_ _Could she be telling the truth or was she simply playing mind tricks on you?_ _ **"Though why you would want to return to that war torn hell hole i would never know, just kiss me and i'll promise you that."**_ _You're sure she's lying, how could she of all people have the power to return you to Earth?_ _  
_ _  
_ _"You're lying now quit playing games."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Try and calm yourself Daniel."_ _Reinhardt whispers into your ears_ _  
_ _  
_ _ **"There'll be bluebirds over... The white cliffs of Dover... Tomorrow, Just you wait and see..."**_ _How? Why? That's not... You struggle to think clearly, somehow she knew of your world._ _  
_ _  
_ _"How do you know that song!"_ _You don't notice it but you're shouting now, but all you can hear is her sadistic laugh._ _"Tell me how ~"_ _Reinhardt grabs onto you stopping you from getting any closer to the woman, you were about to strike her._ _  
_ _  
_ _"We're done for today."_ _Reinhardt pulls you out of the room. You're shaking as though you'd just walked out of a blizzard._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Reinhardt i'm sorry... I ~"_ _  
_ _  
As if he knew what you were going to say he replies before you can finish_ _"Cultists know how to get into your head, how to make you act out on the worst of yourself. You held together better then most so don't worry about it."_ _  
_ _  
You spend the rest of the day in contemplation, just how much did this cultist know of you or your world? Was she the one who brought you here? It's possible but you think it unlikely, someone with that kind of power and disgust would have no need for a person like you. No even now you're convinced someone or something else brought you to this world._

 _Day 6 - Re:Read - Regarding learning to read in another world._ _  
_ _You wake to the smell of bacon, one of the new guards had just delivered your morning meal. While eating you think about the letter Emilia had written you and how you had no way of actually reading it, you think on the fact that your 'illiteracy' in this world could be an issue and so set out on a mission to learn to read and write in the local language._

 _Felt shouldn't be too busy and normally stays cooped up in her room, you figure she might be able to help you learn the local language. You knock twice to no answer but you know someone's inside you can hear the sounds of furniture being moved about, you knock again._

 _"I told you creeps before go away!"_ _Well that's hardly a polite greeting but then she was a bit rough around the edges._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Guess i'll come back later."_ _Before you can walk away you hear the clank of heavy duty locks, the door swings open and there stands Felt ontop of an overturned wardrobe._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Hey bro what's up."_ _She's staring level into your eyes with one hand on her hip. Her room is a total mess, cupboards and wardrobes block the windows and form a makeshift barricade around her door. The floors and walls are filled with mattresses, you didn't even know the mansion had so many._ _  
_ _  
_ _"What's all this..."_ _The reason of your visit fades for a moment._ _  
_ _  
_ _"I figure if we're going to be the targets of assassins or cults or any other weirdos we can't count on these uptight losers for protection."_ _She's clearly proud of her 'work'._ _"These fortifications should do for now until Rom can come up with something more secure... So you come to chat or did you need anything?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"I was going to ask if you could maybe sort of teach me to read?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Why would i know something useless like that."_ _The way she phrased it wasn't so much as a question but as a statement._ _"The only people who need to read are snooty nobles or pompous knights."_ _The young girls tone is now one of condescension._ _"Trust me bro reading is for chumps."_ _You're not going to find much help from her in this matter._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Reading is pretty important you know..."_ _Before you can elaborate she cuts you off._ _  
_ _  
_ _"There's noway you'll ever convince me to do something so snobbish."_ _She is clearly dead set against the idea, you might be able to convince her down the line but right now you'll have to look elsewhere for help. You turn to leave but feel a tug on your arm_ _"Don't..."_ _Felt is holding tight onto you_ _"Just don't go turning into one of those high and mighty idiots"_ _You feel she is talking about the knights or perhaps all of the upper classes of this world._ _  
_ _  
You pat her on the head scuffling her hair_ _"Don't worry i'm not changing none."_ _of course you didn't notice her pulling back her leg, she has a surprisingly hard kick for a kid. With you out of the room she shuts the door, perhaps patting her on the head was a bad idea? Down the hall you notice a pair of guards sniggering at your misfortune, just past them you can see Fenix doing some dusting. You think she might be able to help so decide to ask her._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Hey."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"You're up early."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Well the early bird gets the worm"_ _She looks at you in confusion before smiling politely. You think it best to get straight to the point._ _"I was wondering if you could help me with something."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Sure anything, i've been bored stiff all morning."_ _It's Nine AM how bored could she be?_ __

 _"Would you mind teaching me to read?"_ _  
_ _  
She looks to the ground, her normally cool stance has now dissolved into one of embarrassment or perhaps shame?_ _"I'm sorry but..."_ _Her voice cracks, is this a sore subject for her?_ _"I don't really know how myself..."_ _  
_ _Fenix shifts uncomfortably, you want to change to subject but she speaks up before you can._ _"I'm sure Reinhardt or Lady Leanna would help, let's go find them"_ _She turns fast, does she not want you to see her face?_ _  
_ _  
The two of you wander the mansion for some time before coming across Reinhardt in the dance hall standing in front of a hand drawn map of the manor talking to a handful of guards._ _"Maybe we should wait a bit he looks busy ~"_ _Fenix ignores you continuing to walk towards the master swordsman. You miss alot of what they say but catch on to Reinhardt mid sentence._ _  
_ _  
_ _"You know i'm not good with that sort of stuff..."_ _He motions to one of the guards and says something to them but you don't quite catch it._ _"Take him to the east library i'll have someone meet you there."_ _You can't so much as say hi to him before you're dragged away by the arm, Fenix is acting unusual._ _  
_ _  
The two of you wait in silence in the library for some time, unsure of what to say. You're about to break the silence as the door creaks open, through it walks yet another woman wearing a similar yet distinct uniform as the Knights. Behind her a group of guards carry through a struggling young thief._

 _"Let go of me you ~"_ _She notices you and Fenix mid sentence_ _"Bro! Sis! Get these thugs off of me."_ _before you can actually do anything they place her down and shut the door. She tries to force it open but it won't budge._

 _"You won't break out of this room, no-one is leaving. Not until we've finished the first lesson."_ _The new woman speaks in a somewhat uncaring tone, seems as though she wants to be here as much as Felt does._ _"Introductions are in order. My name is Aldna Österreich of the Royal Knights and you are"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"I'm Daniel, Dan for ~"_ _  
_ _  
She cuts you off before you can finish_ _"If you had let me finish you would know i am familiar with your name and actions in this kingdom as well as those of Mrs Wite and the young maiden."_ _Maybe you did jump the gun a little, but with the way she talks it really did seem as though she had finished talking._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Thank you for helping us with this."_ _Fenix is still departed from her regular self while Felt seems to be examining the room for an escape route_ __

 _"It is no problem but simply an extension of my duties as your guardian"_ _Guardian? You hadn't put it together before but you remember it now, she was one of the six Knights from the other day, the ones assigned to the manor. From her satchel she hands each of you a blank book as well as an ink pot and an extravagant quill, you've never used a quill pen before so decide to get out your trusty pencil instead, this grabs the attention of the Knight._ _"_ _What is that?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Oh this? it's a pencil."_ _You open up the book she had handed you and write out 'Hello nice to meet you'_ _"Where i'm from we use it to write."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Amazing."_ _Is a pencil really such a big deal? Her cold professional attitude melts away from something so simple._ _"Let's start with the basic symbols..."_ _She refocuses herself bringing out yet another book from her satchel, how much stuff did she have in that thing anyway? You start off by repeatedly writing out basic symbols over and over again._ _"Repetition is key."_ _The basic concept isn't hard to understand, there are three sets of symbols but Aldna starts you out with the first set._ _  
_ _  
After who knows how long she has you and the others write out a sentence from a children's book using the first group of symbols, the sentence structure feels alien to you but you slowly get the gist of it. Felt seems to be a natural, her handwriting is messy but she's burning through the tasks with confidence. Fenix on the other hand is struggling, her handwriting is elegant but the sentences themselves are mixed with symbols being placed incorrectly. You can see the frustration mounting on her face and you want to help her but before you can an explosion rocks the mansion_

 _Another attack? The guards that had been standing in the hallway move into the library and take up a close square formation around Felt. A few moments later even more guards pour in"There was an explosion in the south market district, the attack is well away from here." Well away? then just how big was it if it shook the mansion. "The other knights are patrolling the manor, best course of action is to stay here until the all clear is given."_

 _You can't just sit idly by and wait this out, you cant let a potential disaster get any worse. You rush to your feat and make haste for the door but find the path blocked by the woman knight._ __

 _"You're not going to leave this room until the all clear is given."_ __

 _"People are in danger. You can't expect me to sit idly by and ~"_ __

 _"It's irrelevant, We have orders. You can't expect us to disobey them. "_ __

 _You grit your teeth, you can't bring yourself to stay but don't want to start a fight with the security. Even if you truly did want to shoot your way out, and you don't, it's unlikely you would manage to take on all of the guards in the room let alone others outside._ __

 _"You don't even know what's happening."_ _Felt is speaking in a much more serious tone than normal_ _"You have no idea what you might be running into."_ _You notice her eyes are starting to water, her voice has now turned into a full on scream._ _"Do you want to die or something!"_ __

 _"The Knights can handle this..."_ _Now Fenix too?_ _"What do you hope to accomplish?"_ __

 _You're being bombarded from all sides, you can't force your way out and you're not going to convince them to let you out. It's then a familiar red haired knight shows his face accompanied by the old giant._ _"Good everyone is here."_ _Not everyone, most of the guards, the Knights and even Leanna were still unaccounted for._ _"Leanna is leading the perimiter guard, we'll all hold up in here for the night or until circumstances improve"._

 _"Reinhardt! You have to let me out of here, i need to help."_ __

 _"The markets are in flames, i'm sorry but you could get yourself killed. Don't worry there are plenty of ~"_

 _"I've dealt with this kind of thing before, disaster relief, i've dealt with massive explosions before. Trust me i can make a difference."_ __

 _Reinhardt rubs the back of his head for a moment in thought_ _"If you really want to do this i won't stop you, but i won't let you go alone."_ _He nods towards your impromptu language teacher_ _"Aldna go with him."_ _She simply nods before stepping out of your way._ __

 _"Thank you, You won't regret it."_ _You make your way to your room to pick up your gear, despite the protests of the girls, you think you feel a tugging on your arm but in your haste ignore it completely. It doesn't take you long to get ready and before long you're out of the mansion. Orange flames illuminate the horizon, billowing black smoke is easily visible despite it being late. The market place you remember it from when you first arrived here, it would take a while for you to get there from here on foot. You look over the yard for a carriage but fail to find one, that's when you feel your knightly protector wrap her arms around you,_ __

 _"What are you doing."_ _You're already high in the air before you can finish your sentence, you don't even register what's happening at first._ _  
_ _  
"What does it look like?"_ _She's speaking as if this is the most natural thing in the world, her tone is completely out of place._ __

 _"You can fly!"_ __

 _"Not if you keep wriggling like that..."_ _You try your best to stay stiff and not to look down, you'd never been afraid of heights before but being carried through the air, held up by nothing but the strength of such a petite woman had you understanding just why so many were afraid of flying. From this height you can clearly see the scope of the disaster, dozens of buildings are aflame and people are still rushing from the scene, a large crater located near the market place surrounded by the ruins of nearby buildings mark what must have been the epicentre of this event. The crater and resulting carnage represented something you had seen far to often before, this had clearly been caused by an explosion._ __

 _Aldna places you a safe enough distance from the flames, what would have taken close to an hour on foot had only took moments in the air. A handfull of citizens try to combat the flames but they're uncoordinated, you and Aldna seem to be the only professionals on the scene._ _"You can fly, got any other tricks up your sleeve?"_ _She looks at you with a confused look, that saying really shouldn't be so hard to understand for her._ _"Magic, can you use it to stop the flames."_ __

 _"I could use Ice to freeze the structures caught in the blaze. However using it would certainly kill anyone caught in the radius."_ __

 _You shout over some of the local onlookers._ _"You fetch water! You go with him! You help clear the surrounding buildings, make sure no-one's in them."_ _They do as you say, though if it's because of your commanding tone or the presence of a Royal Knight you can't say. You run through your disaster training in your head, while this is somewhat different you figure techniques you would use to combat napalm or firebomb attacks could still apply. Your coordination efforts go well as the previously disorganised citizens had now began actually making a difference, but the fire still raged. While you do your best to help evacuate people from the area and fight the flames you do your best to try and come up with some way to utilise Aldnas powers._ __

 _"Everyone if you can walk please keep moving."_ _Healing the injured is all she could do without risking injuring survivors._ __

 _"I've got it!"_ _You snap your fingers and rush to the magical knight._ _"I need you to make an ice sculpture."_ _She gives you yet another look of confusion, you'll admit this time it was deserved._ _"We clear out the streets near the flames and then you use your powers to create ice walls, the mana drain from the environment should cool it down enough to lessen the flames and if we keep it confined to the streets and are carefull we should manage without risking anyone inside of the effected buildings."_ __

 _Your magical companion simply nods, you give the command for everyone to get off the streets and have some of the locals form a cordon to stop people wandering in before Aldna unleashes her magic, the ice wall she creates reaches close to a story high and runs along every road and alley afflicted by the blaze. The effects are almost instant, it's easy to see the flames dying down and the smoke dying out. You turn to Aldna, you's had done it! Only to watch her fall to her knees._ _"It's done"_ _She turns to you, you go to speek but she interrupts you_ _"Don't worry i'll be fine..."_ _You're not sure about that, her breathing is heavy and laboured. You remember back to one of your first experiences with magic, what if she had used up to much like you had? If it wasn't for that strange cat you would have died._ __

 _You pick up the exhausted woman, thinking about how to move forward when you see shadows moving along nearbye rooftops. You don't get a good look but you think they might be heading for the guard house, could this whole thing have been a distraction? That would be awfully convenient but what if it was? You have a tough decision to make, to bring Aldna to saftey or to investigate potential cultist activity. Whichever you choose could have long lasting implications for the future..._


End file.
